Trial by Fire
by Little Miss Jigsaw
Summary: It's been seven years since Chihiro came back to the spirit world, and Kei, the cat demon was killed. Now new problems are arising for her, Haku, and Ryu, the fire spirit who helped them. Sequel to Separation. Please R
1. prt 1 chp 1 The Letter

Heh, bout time I got around to posting this... been awhile since the end of the last one :p

This shall be done in several parts. 3 chaps to each... Hey, that means I'm close to done with part one... YAY!

Ahem, anyway, this is seven years after the end of Separation... Hope you enjoy it... And please don't forget to review... Us writers thrive on those you know.

_Trial By Fire_

_**Exerpt from "Separation" Chapter Nine:**_

Somewhere, far off in the distance, a lonely fire spirit made his way to what had once been his home. He had lied to Chihiro, and Haku. He had no family left, all of them, were dead. Not that he wasn't used to being alone, in fact, he often preferred it that way... but after months of being around others, being alone didn't seem too great.  
But he had to stay away. That was certain. No one trusted him after what he'd done, and he didn't blame them. He didn't even trust himself anymore.  


_As he sat on an old stone, he felt a bit of cold air cross his spine, giving him the shivers. Prob'ly nothing..._

"Hello again, Ryu," said a calm, cool, smooth-as-silk voice, that somehow sounded dead, "Did you miss me?"

**End exerpt**

Prologue:

Everyone makes choices. Some for the better, some for the worse. You can never know what effect your choices will have on you, the ones around you, or even the world... Not until you've made them. Sometimes, things go right... Sometimes they come back to haunt you.

But what if there was no such thing as "choices"? What if, despite the way things seem, everything is on a set course, and what we think are choices, are really nothing more than an illusion. The idea of not having any choice in your destiny is one that some shun, believing that they have absolute control over their life. And there are others that aknowledge fate, or destiny, whichever you choose to call it, and are perfectly happy believing that they have no control.

Kohaku the River Spirit, his wife, Chihiro, Ryu the fire spirit, and Kei the soul collecter all made choices. Or was it fate?

That is for you to decide, Dear reader, as you see the new choices made, or the new threads of fate, weaving together. No can really tell which is which.**_  
_**

_**Part One: Choices Made**_

**_Chapter One: a Letter_**

Two, shrill, wails woke Chihiro sometime during the night. A glance out the window, at the moon, marked the time as midnight. _Perfect... I have to be up early in the morning... _ She thought, as she sat up. She looked at the sleeping man beside her, considering waking him up, and making him deal with the source of the wails, as he could sleep in all he wanted to the next morning. As the new owner of the Bathhouse, Kohaku could sleep in if he wanted to, and Mondays were generally the days he did. He rolled over, and Chihiro saw the scar that went from under his arm, down to his hip. He'd gotten that years ago, in a fight with a soul collecting Cat Demon, named Kei.

More wails finally made Chihiro sigh, and get out of bed. It seemed her companion was going to sleep right through the noise. She walked quietly to the adjoining room, and attempted to see what had caused the twins' cries. Not that the one-year-olds needed a reason to cry. There were times when Chihiro thought that they simply liked the sound of their own shrieks.

It had been one hell of a surprise to find that she was pregnant. Even more of one, about eight months later, to find that it was twin girls. As was to be expected, Yuki, and Shinko were strange children. More attentive than any baby their ages should have been, and seemed to understand much more than was a normal as well. Not to mention the little magical 'accidents'... The oddities of their appearences was limited to their eyes and skin. Both girls had one emerald green eye, and one chocolate brown, and white-as-snow skin. Other than the fact that Yuki sported her mother's brown hair, and Shinko sported her father's black hair, they were identical. 

Once she had the girls calmed down, and soundly asleep, Chihiro trudged back into her room, and into bed.

"You know, I could have tended them," said Haku, without opening his eyes, as Chihiro settled herself.

"If you were awake," she replied, "Why didn't you get up?"

"I wanted to see if you would even bother trying to get me up on your own."

Chihiro grumbled, but didn't reply. Instead, she rolled over, pulled the blankets up to her chin, and drifted off to sleep

---------------

Haku was actually up long before Chihiro was. It wasn't a morning to sleep in, it seemed, for only a few hours after Chihiro had calmed the girls down he had woken up, and had been unable to get back to sleep. Not that he wasn't used to being up with the sun. Both Shinko and Yuki were already awake, though they were remaining mercifully quiet, as they held themselves up on their feet, over the edges of their cradles, staring at their room.

He lifted Yuki from her cradle, when she spoke to him in the gibberish that only babies seemed to understand. He knew Shinko would prefer to be left alone, until it was time for breakfast. Haku had the feeling that the girls were going to be comeplete opposites. It was already appearent. Where Yukimi was loud, energetic, not the least bit shy, and loved any attention that was given to her, Shinkokami was quiet, laid-back, shy of any strangers, and didn't like alot of people around. Though she did love any attention her parents would give her.

"Ow!" Haku quietly exclaimed, when Yuki pulled his hair, with surprising force. With some difficulty, he pried her fingers open, to release the hair. "I'm going to have to cut my hair, before you manage to yank it all out," he told her, as she smiled. A glance at Shinko told him she had been amused with her father's pain, as much as her sister had.

"Already yanking hair at dawn, huh?" said Chihiro, from the doorway.

"yeah," Haku replied, turning towards her, and trying to keep hold of Yuki, who suddenly leaned towards her mother so far that she might have fallen. "And it seems that the instant you show up, she no longer has any use for me."

Chihiro laughed, and took her more lively daughter, leaving Haku free to get Shinko, whom had realized that her sister was now getting attention from both parents and obviously wasn't very happy about it.

--------------

Chihiro sat at her desk, trying to tally up the bathhouse accounts, for that week, but wasn't having much luck in actually succeeding. Her mind wasn't on the accounts. Her mind was stuck on a dream. A dream of her parents had been plauging her sleep for the past several weeks, making life difficult... It wasn't that it was a nightmare, or visions of awful things happening, it just wasn't a good dream. If it was true, then her parents' life wasn't as good as her's was.

She had always known her parents would search for her, after she disappeared, and that they would get the police to help... But with no real evidence of foul play, other than a gang of bullies that had beat her up a few times, no body, no evidence that she had even come to any physical harm, much less evidence of a murder, and the knowledge that Chihiro was often a depressed, troubled girl, and that her parents had been planning on sending her to a relative in anohter country, then the police would likely come to the conclusion that Chihiro was a runaway. And in a way, that was the right conclusion... She had made the choice to leave.. and she had made the choice to stay.

Despite knowing that her parents would search for her, she hadn't expected the search to continue, seven years after the fact... But then, she had gotten her determination from her parents. If the dream was true, then the police had long since given up on finding her, but her parents kept at it, and it was taking its toll on their lives. A younger Chihiro might have gone back to her parents, or stayed in the spirit world for selfish reasons. But at twenty-two, Chihiro knew that no matter which world she was in, she would cause someone emotional pain. If she stayed, her parents suffered, if she took her daughters, or, heaven forbid they couldn't leave,and she had to leave them behind, and went to her parents, then she, Haku, and her children suffered, and nothing was worth causing her daughters or her husband greif. It was the Spirit World or the Human world, there was no middle ground, and Chihiro had made her choice the moment she had woken up the day she had come back to this world. It had been made final nearly two years before, when she had married Haku, and the deal was permanently sealed when Yuki and Shinko had been born. Staying was the lesser of two evils, and nothing would make her feel guilty about her choice.

Nothing.

The dream could make her life hell, could keep her from sleeping, or even being able to concentrate on her work...

But it wasn't going to make her feel guilty.

_You're worrying about something again, Darling, _ Haku's voice echoed through her mind, making Chihiro jump slightly.

_Don't do that... And it's nothing, really... Just a dream._

The one about you parents. It wasn't a question.

_You've been poking around in my head again, haven't you?  
_

_What do you mean 'again'? I keep to myself, unless I'm worried about you. And you didn't tell me what was wrong this time._

Sorry... But yeah, it was that dream...

Do you regret staying here?

Of course not!

Would you go back?

Not even if I could. I belong here, with you, and the girls. I just wish I could find a way to tell them I'm okay...

You would have to ask Zeniba... You know where to find her at least...

Yes, but the train to Swamp Bottom is such a long one... You know I can't be away that long, there's too much to do.

You have a dragon around, and you would go so far as to even consider the train? His reply oozed with amused sarcasm.

_What about Yuki and Shinko?_

I'm sure Lin can care for them for a few hours. 

------------------

"So I can get a letter to them?"

"Yes, you can, but it's a tricky little spell, and it's possible it might not go where it's supposed too," the old witch, and former bathhouse mistress replied.

Chihiro smiled breifly at No-Face, whom had decided to entertain the twins (as Lin had been sick, and unable to watch them) before she said, "It's worth a try at least. "

"Why didn't you tell me about this when I was desperate for a way to talk to Chihiro?" Haku asked, suspiciously.

"Because of the fact that there is no guarantee it would work, and would have only upset your wife even more, if it had," Zeniba answered bluntly, "Now, about the spell, I need a letter written first. Then I can send it off for you."

It took a while to write the letter, as there was alot to try and say, without making her parents think she was suffering delusions, but Chihiro got it done eventually, and handed it over to Zeniba, along with another piece of paper... Now all she could hope for was that it got to where it was meant to go.

-----------------

Kenshin might have missed the envelope on the front step, had it not been such a vivid green. Confused, he picked it up. It was addressed to him, and his wife. All the more puzzled, he opened it, and began to read.

_Mom, Dad..._

Please don't just throw this away, as you read those two words, assuming that this is some sick prank by some kid, though I won't blame you if you do, I know I would, if I were you. Seven years is a long time to go without trying to contact you, I know, and I hope you can forgive me for it...  


_First off, I'll tell you why I disappeared... The day I went missing, the gang of bullies that I had told you about followed me. I'm fairly sure that they meant to do more than leave me with a few bruises, so I ran. And I kept running, until I got to where I am now... I wasn't so much as running away from home, as I was running towards home... I can't explain that. Couldn't even if I had a hundred sheets of paper to write on.. Just suffice to say that everyone who said I didn't belong there was right, I didn't. I'm where I belong now. _

Secondly, I would like you to stop searching for me. You aren't going to find me.. I'm closer to you than you think, yet farther than you could imagine. Again that is something I can't explain, because I know you wouldn't believe me if I did. And... I don't want to be found. I'm finally happy. I'm the-, well, let's say I run a business with my husband. Yes, my husband. I've been married for two years to Kohaku River. Mom, you'll know him. Look at any of my paintings that you might have kept... And I have two beautiful children... Twin girls. Yukimi, named after you, Mom, and Shinkokami, after your baby sister, Dad. I wish you could meet them, but I'm afraid that isn't possible.

I'm sure you'd love them, if I could find a way for you to meet them. They just turned one last month. Don't have many teeth yet, but they use the ones they have.

This is probably the only communication you're going to get from me for a long time, as it is rather difficult to send letters from where I am... I only wrote this one, even knowing it may not get to you, because of a dream I had about you. I don't know if it's true or not, but I have the feeling it is. Again I ask you to stop looking. If not for me, then for yourselves. It is only bringing you pain. I realize, and accept the fact that it is mostly my fault. But, I had, and still have my reasons.

Dad, you should go back to your model-making... You used to love building those things... On one side of the second sheet of paper is a drawing of my new home... Perhaps you could build that?

Mom, start sewing again. You were always so proud of your clothes. I would draw something you could try, but I know you always hated following patterns, so use your imagination.

I love you, I miss you, and I'm always thinking of you,

Your daughter,  
Chihiro

and her family,  
Kohaku, Yukimi, and Shinkokami.

Dumbfounded, and wondering if he was imagining things, Kenshin looked at the second sheet of paper. On one side, as the letter had said, was a detailed sketch of a bathhouse, identical to the one his daughter had painted so many times as a child. On the other side was a very well done painting of a twenty-two-year-old Chihiro, and what had to be her family. A young man, with shoulder-length straight black hair, and green eyes, whom appeared to be no more than tewnty-three. That had to be her husband. And then there was the twin girls. Almost identical in appearence, save for difference in hair color.

Hands trembling, Kenshin took the letter, the painting, and the envelope inside the house, to his wife. He doubted this was a prank...

He just couldn't believe it... After all these years... It was almost too much to take in.

Yuki, his wife, was speechless after she read the letter, and simply stood there for the longest time, staring at the paper.

"I ju- I just can't believe that she's.." the woman said dumbfounded, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She suddenly embraced her husband tightly. "She's alive... Our baby's alive..."

Kenshin hugged her back, "And happy, if this is true, and she's not lying.."

"I don't think she's lying... She wouldn't. Not about being happy."

"You're right. She never lied about being miserable. She has no reason to lie the other way around.."

"I still want to find her. But I'm afraid she's right, and we won't find her..."

"Even if we don't, we know she's alive and well."

-----------------------------

Eh, that letter drove me NUTS... still not happy with it, but drat it all, it's HARD to come up with something someone might say in a situation like that...

Oh, and here is a pic of Shinko and Yuki... MUCH MUCH older though:  
http:// i11. /Anime/Innocent.jpg

and this is something I did for my RP game, for Christmas. Didn't turn out as good as I had hoped... The blonde is Chihiro's friend, Sakura Yukihiro. And I couldn't resist having Lin as an elf :p  
http/i11. /Anime/HappyHolidays.jpg


	2. prt 1 chp 2 Reina and Ryu

Here's chapter 2... this'll be the last update until after Christmas... 

Enjoy. And review

_**Part one**_

Chapter Two: Reina and Ryu

Reina unfolded one white-tipped wing and plucked several brown feathers from it, to add to her hair. She had lost the ones that had previously been in her hair several days before, in a breif playful chase with her companion. She slipped the end of one of the feathers into the small braids that were on the shorter parts on her dark brown hair. She started to apply the second one to the thin braid in the black, longer bit of hair that framed the left side of her face, when it fell from her fingers. Her yellow eyes flashed in annoyance, as she looked around her feet for the runaway feather. She turned, her wings rustling, when she heard footsteps behind her. Ryu, the fire spirit she had taken a liking to several years before, stood there, twirling the lost feather in his fingers, smirking.

"You know, you didn't have to pluck any," he told her, idly, "You lost plenty last night."

Making a face at him, Reina snatched the feather from his grasp, and fastened it into a braid. She didn't bother gracing him with a reply. She wasn't the most social in the mornings. After three years in her company, Ryu knew that, and hadn't expected her to talk anyway. As she turned away from him, though, Reina smiled. Dusting off her hands, she almost laughed, remembering how they'd met. Ryu had been having a bit of trouble getting out of a waist-deep mudpit that he had somehow gotten himself into. Reina was the only one in that area that could have gotten him out, as no one else could get close to him without falling victim to the same predicament. That was one advantage to being able to fly; you didn't have to worry about such trifle things as mudpits.

It had taken some work, but eventually she had succeeded in freeing him. The poor boy had been covered in mud. Reina had been unable to keep herself from laughing. She had managed to gasp between laughing about how he looked like a swamp monster. Ryu hadn't been as amused as his rescuer, and his annoyed expression had only made Reina laugh harder. She had been blue in the face, in tears, and in alot of pain by the time she had regained her composure. She had offered to let him stay in her home for the night, and he had accepted, though some-what hesitantly. They'd found that they actually got along quite well, and for several days, Ryu had found an excuse to stick around. 

Eventually had had asked Reina to join him in his travels. He'd warned her that he had no particular destination, that he just didn't feel comfortable staying in one place for long. Reina, though she didn't know why, at the time, had agreed. And they had been travelling together ever since. It had been after quite a few months that they had gone from friends to lovers. The winter months, typically enough.

When she pulled herself from her thoughts, Reina found herself on the bank of the river that she and Ryu had been using for drinking water. With a shrug, she proceeded forward, until the icy water reached her ankles. She loved water, a feeling that Ryu didn't share. He avoided large bodies of water as if they were a plague. Were it not for that, and a few of the physical traits, Reina might not have known Ryu was a fire spirit. Not one in their three years together had he ever so much as caused a spark, unless she asked him to. And even then, it took some persuasion. She's asked him why, one day, and he had told her of a Bathhouse that had burned to the ground because of him. There was a lot more to the story, as well, like the cat demon, a dragon, a human and the witch twins. But in short, he didn't like using his powers, after the incident.

"What happened to the demon?" Reina had asked, when he had finished with the tale.

"She's... " Ryu had hesitated, "Uh, she's dead... "

Realizing her bare feet were numb now, Reina stepped out of the water , and went to find the very spirit she had been thinking of. She found him not to far away, perched on a rock, with his head in his hands. From the look on his face, and his unusually pale skin, Reina knew he was having another headache. He often suffered excruciatingly painful headaches. He'd never said why. Reina waited until there was some semblance of color in his skin, before she approached him. When Ryu didn't look up at her, she slipped one wingtip under his chin and forced him to look up, until she could look him in the face. She used her wings, because a decade of having hands seemed like nothing more than an eyeblink comepared to the centuries she'd spent with only wings. Hands had their uses, though.

"You alright?" she asked.

"I am now... They're getting worse," Ryu replied, and sneezed, as one of Reina's feathers tickled his nose.

Reina half-smiled at him, pulled her wing away, and caressed his cheek with one clawed hand, careful that she didn't harm him. When she touched him he averted his eyes for a moment, before meeting her intense gaze once more. Reina saw the same emotions reflected in those black orbs as she had seen every day, for years; sadness, lonliness, anger, and guilt. Then there were the ones that had cropped up more recently, and were slowly but surely removing the others; brief flickers of happiness, relief, and... Love... For her. It was the last that unsettled Reina the most. In her original form, she'd had no need for such emotions as love. She relied on instincts, and instincs alone. Now she was in this mostly human form, and the idea that someone could love her, or that she could love them, was an alien one to her. Friendship had come easily, becoming lovers just as easily, but actually admitting to his, or her own feelings wasn't.

-------------------------

Ryu never let his companion's yellow eyes avert from his own, and for the longest time, they sat there, each searching the other's gaze for hints to their thougts, until neither could bear it any longer. Simultaneously, they leaned toward one another, and their lips met in a kiss that started off slow, and gentle, but became increasingly urgent, as Reina slid her arms over Ryu's neck, and wrapped his around her waist.

As he always did when he had this much contact with Reina, Ryu felt his heart stop, then start and skip a few beats. That had happened since the very first time she'd kissed him, and every time since. And as the kiss only deepened, Ryu was taken down memory lane.

_"Aw, please?" Reina pleaded when Ryu refused to light a fire, to keep warm that night. With a sigh, Ryu obliged, and easily lit the wood she had gathered. Reina said something that resembled a "thank you" and went to sit next to the newly lit fire to warm up. Ryu had to admit, it was cold, but it didn't bother him as much as his friend, since he emanated heat naturally. It was later that night when Reina approached him from behind._

"I never said a proper thank you," she said, and Ryu could feel her, standing right behind him, "I know you don't like using your power." And she certainly did. She had to, after six months in his company. Ryu, however wasn't worried about wether or not she payed attention. He was worried about her proximity to him. He had been attracted to Reina from the very day she had rescued him from the mud, and it had been that attraction that had made him ask her to join him. In the past months, that attraction had grown, and grown. But Ryu never said anything about it. Maybe if he said nothing to her, he could forget the fact that he had long since fallen for the young, beautiful spirit.  
His reason? He still felt guilty for the bathhouse, and for having hurt the first people he had ever dared to call friends. He was afraid of doing the same to Reina, if they became any more than friends.

That night, Ryu was sure that fate was having a good laugh at his expense.

As he turned to say something to her, unaware of just how close she was, and also unaware that she had been in the process of leaning forward to kiss his cheek, in thanks, their lips met. Both of their eyes were wide open, in shock, and they pulled away from eachother quicky, though Ryu felt his heart stop, the start, and skip several beats. Something that would become familiar to him. The pair only stared at one another, both raging inner battles with pent up emotions.

It was Reina who made the first move. Being her usual bold self, she kissed him again. Ryu, despite his brain telling him to break away, and get away from her for a while, kissed her back.

You can't do this! The more logical part of his brain screamed, You'll only hurt her, like you did everyone else!

No I won't. I would never hurt Reina... The more emontionally driven side argued, It's not like it was back then...

By all means, Ryu, said a third voice, this one cold, and cruel, continue. I'll be watching... waiting.  


_He pushed that voice away... The one he wished he could forget so badly. He also said to hell with his logical side. What was life without a few risks?_

It turned out to be one of the few choices that Ryu didn't regret for one reason or another. 

--------------------

Somewhere in the depths of Ryu's mind, the being who rarely spoke, lurked, waiting for the right moment to let its presence be truly known. Ryu knew it was there, in a way... But not to the extent. This being no longer had a body. But the body it had previously had, and the name as well were only masks. There was no real physical form, or name for this presence. It went from mind to mind, inhabiting the conciense of spirits, and humans alike. And when it was ready to, it either took over the body of the person it had inhabited, or moved on to someone it wanted to get into. Generally someone with a strong soul. It made its power all the stronger.

It had gone though thousands, if not millions of bodies, and names. And as each body died, so did the soul of the person who had originally been in control.

Mischeif and chaos followed this being everywhere. And then, when it was ready, when it had wormed its way into the group is was trying to disrupt, it unleashed utter destruction, and gathered power from the death around it.

It reveled in the destruction, and hate it caused, and few who were inhabited by it lived to tell the tale, for if it didn't take over the body, then first came pain... then death.

These beings were also very vengeful things, should their mischeif be interupted. Very, Very vengeful...

------------------__

Ryu woke to find that he was somewhat colder than he normally was in the mornings. The reason was appearent at once. The spot next to him, where Reina was almost always curled up, when he woke, was empty. He looked around for her, but she wasn't in his line of sight. The only evidence of her was her clothes, lying in a heap near by, with the white and brown feathers she had been wearing in her hair. After a moment, the fact that her clothes were lying there clicked in his brain, and he fell back onto his make-shift pillow with a groan. Where ever she was, she was there stark naked.

It was several minutes later when he heard her wings. He turned his head in the direction of the river, and sure enough, there was Reina. She landed gracefully next to her clothes, water coursing down her bare skin, and dripping from her braided hair. She bent and gathered her clothes. The first time she had pulled such a stunt, Ryu had blushed so red Reina said he could have lit a room, but by now, it didn't even phase him.

"You could have taken your clothes to the river with you," he said bluntly.

"They would have gotten wet, and muddy," she retorted, slipping into her skirt, and shirt, and replacing the feathers in her hair.

Ryu rolled his eyes, as she layed next to him. She always had some excuse. "Do you ever take that thing off?" he asked, lookng at the thick gold band, with various symbols etched into it, that had been around her upper arm since the day he'd met her. It had never once been removed.

She shook her head, sending droplets of water everywhere, and making Ryu flinch. He didn't like water. "Course I don't. It was a gift from my family. They're all dead, like your's."

He already knew about her family. They were both the last surviving members of their families. Reina continued to speak, "It offers a bit of protection from most magic, and so long as I'm alive, it can't be damaged... Of course, if I die, well duck and cover, 'cause it'll be sending bits of gold everywhere..." After a few minutes of perfect silence, she suddenly said, "Hey! Why don't we pay your friends at that bathhouse a visit?"

"What?! No!"

"Why not? Surely you don't think they hold a grudge against you... It's been seven years, Ryu. Besides, they might be glad to see you."

"I doubt it," Ryu scoffed, "Especially not the dragon... I nearly got his human killed, and all to save my own ass. I'm surprised they even let me help rebuild the place, much less live afterward."

"Oh don't talk that way!" Reina scolded him, poking him with one claw, "You saved their lives... That cat demon would have got them one way or another with or without your help. If you hadn't helped her, she'd have just killed you and gone on with her plans anyway, and no one would have been there to help them, so in a way it was a good thing. "

"Just a coincidence," Ryu muttered. He'd had this conversation with her before.

"You know I don't believe in coincidences, Ryu. If you ask me, you were meant to be there, to keep them alive," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"Ah but you see, the beauty of this is, I _didn't _ask you," Ryu replied, with a slight smirk.

Reina punched his arm, lightly, "Come on. It would do you some good to see the place again..."

Ryu sighed, "You're not going to leave me alone, until I agree are you?"

Reina shook her head vigorously. She was going to get her way, one way or another. "Nope, I'm not!"

---------------

_Hehehehe, very good Ryu, very good indeed... _The being inside Ryu's head thought to its self. It was about time to start doing the worst damage it could. And then, it would choose the body it wanted to inhabit. It rather preffered females, to males. Gender preferance was something some of this being's race developed over time.

---------------

Several weeks of travel found them only a few hours away from the bathhouse. Ryu found that he was actually excited about seeing the few friends who hadn't shunned him after the fire... Perhaps Reina was right, and it would do him good to go back. Maybe the headaches he kept having would stop. After all, they hadn't started until after the bathhouse incident. Reina of course was pleased that she had won, and was more cheerful than Ryu had seen her in a while. She wasn't generally the cheery type. She was more the "play grouchy all the time" type.

As they walked, Ryu felt the beginnings of another of the headaches, but tried hard to ignore it. Even went so far as to try and will the pain away. For a few moments he thought it worked, as his head cleared, and there was no pain...

But then, he felt white-hot pain shoot up his spine, and his head felt as if it were going to split in half. He let out a yell, and dropped to the ground. He heard Reina calling his name, before his face hit the dirt, and he mercifully lost conciousness.

----------------


	3. prt 1 chp 3 Old Faces New Faces

Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful christmas, I know I did.

And here is Chapter three. **__**

**_Part One_**

Chapter Three: Old faces New faces

Lin had forgotten how hard it was to sneak up on a dragon, as it had been a while since she had last tried too. It didn't help that he had Shinko with him. That kid was like a living alarm. There was no sneaking up on someone when she was near by. It really made Lin's tricks hard to pull off.

Haku was busy laughing at her failed attempts to scare him, while Shinko was trying to grab for Lin's hair.

Chihiro watched them from above, on the bridge that over looked the baths, holding Yuki. With a smile, she turned to look towards the elevator, and old memories came back to her, from when the original bathhouse had been standing.

_The door to the elevator opened, and blocking Lin and Chihiro's path was a very tall, very fat, very white, and very odd looking being... Lin gasped nervously, "The radish spirit!". The spirit only raised one tuber-like arm, and pointed upwards, its arm squeaking as it did so.   
"Sorry, sir, this elevator doesn't go any higher," Lin had used as an excuse, with a nervous grin so large it nearly covered her whole face, "You'll have to take another one."_

And in a way that reminded Chihiro almost of a puppy, the spirit followed her and Lin as they headed for the next elevator.

That memory made her laugh, now, whenever she looked back on it. She didn't know why, but it did. When she looked back down at the baths, Haku, and Lin were gone. With a shrug, she turned, and started to head for the elevator, but found that her way was blocked by a rather large tree spirit. He wasn't a regular guest. The last time Chihiro had seen him was before Zeniba had turned over control of the bathhouse to her and Haku. The spirit started too look down at her and the baby, as if he was going to ask her something, but when he actually saw her, he gave a gasp of shock, and disgust. 

"Humans!"

Chihiro sighed. How was it that they always knew? She no longer smelled human, and there were plenty of other spirits, like Lin, who looked every bit as human as she did... Not that she wasn't used to it. In the five years that she and Haku had been running the bathhouse she'd had more unpleasant encounters with spirits who hated humans than she cared to remember. She opened her mouth to speak, and let him know just who he was talking to, but he beat her to getting words out.

'What kind of place is this?! Letting humans and their offspring here!? I demand to speak to the master of this place!"

"Then start talking," Chihiro answered, wryly, as she bounced Yuki in her arms, hoping to distract the girl from her current attempts to build up wails, "Because I'm the mistress here."

"What!? You? B-but," the spirit stammered, "but you're a human!"

"That human," said a cold, domineering voice from behind the rude spirit, "happens to be my wife. And the child is my daughter. If you have a problem with them being here, I suggest you take it up with me."

Haku stepped into Chihiro's line of vision, holding Shinko up on her feet, as she tried to walk. The tree spirit turned, about to say something insulting, Chihiro guessed, until he saw who it was that had spoken. "M-master Haku!" of course, everyone knew who and what Haku was. To get on his bad side wasn't something that most spirits wanted to do. "I- I apologize, I had no idea... I didn't think-"

"That's right, you didn't," Haku interupted, and several spirits, both customers, and employees, near by snickered with malicious delight. Most had seen a situation like this more than once. "Any one who _had _thought, wouldn't have started to complain, and make demands without knowing whom they were adressing." The snickering got louder, and it was no longer a shock to Chihiro why new guests were never warned about her by employees or fellow customers. They enjoyed seeing people get a lecture from the boss. 

The tree spirit looked for a moment as if he was going to say something in argument, but he thought better of it. Wisely, in Chihiro's opinion, as Haku didn't look as if he would stand for another word from the spirit. Muttering about sentimental dragons, the tree spirit wandered off, and many disappointed sighs could be heard. Every one had obviously been hoping for a big fight. 

"Alright, everyone back to work," Lin scolded, though she too looked disappointed. "Has anyone taken Kamaji his breakfast yet?"

"That's your job, Lin," Chihiro reminded the woman, giving her husband a smile.

"But I'm just now over being sick!" Lin said, trying to look thin, and pitiful, "I'm not sure I'm up to going such a long way down!"

"In other words," said Haku with a chuckle, "She doesn't want to hear Kamaji's long-winded rant about how her being sick wasn't an excuse to keep from visiting him and the sootballs."

Lin gave them a very large, very guilty grin, and put one hand behind her head, "No, no! that's not it at all!"

"Give it up, Lin, you're caught," said one of the toads, as he passed by. Lin's eyes snapped wide open for a second before a rather annoyed expression took over the smile, "Fine, I'll take his food down... but if he hurts me, I'm holding you two responsible."

----------------

Reina struggled to keep hold of Ryu. She may not have been weak, but dammit, he was heavy. _If you get through this, _she thought, panting, _I am making you go on a diet, in case this ever happens again... _Granted, she hoped it never did. Calm as her outward appearence was, she was worried sick. No, more like scared to death. Despite being unconcious, Ryu was still tensing up now and then, as more waves of pain hit him. Reina could see the steam from the bathhouse. It wasn't that far off anymore. She was in the "town" around it now. It wasn't much of a town really... nothing more than restaraunts.

She resituated her burden, and continued forward, dreading the stairs she could see ahead of her. she would have just flown, but carrying dead weight was alot different from lifting a concious person, and even that was a bit difficult. Fact was, she wasn't as strong as she had once been, in her true form. In that form, it would have been easy to lift Ryu and fly him to the bathhouse... But then, in her original form, she never would have met him anyway... And even if she had, she wouldn't have stuck around. She hadn't exactly been a caring creature. Come to think of it, she had almost succeeded in comepletely ridding herself of any emotions.

It was only after she had been stuck in her current form that she had let the walls down. It had taken nearly a decade, and one lonely fire spirit to knock them down comepletely though.

Right then, however, she was wishing she could resurrect those emotional blocks, as being afraid wasn't helping her any. She moved her hand, on Ryu's arm, and her fingers brushed his skin, through a hole in his worn, tattered shirt, and she gasped. He was ice cold. Never a good thing, even with a normal spirit, but with Ryu, it could have well been deadly. She sped up as much as she possibly could, and heaved herself, and Ryu up the stairs, then nearly screamed in frustration, seeing the very large staircase that led up the bathhouse.

_Calm down, Reina... Keep cool. You're a Falcon Spirit... You're a cool, calm, collected bird of prey... You don't even know the meaning of the word fear...  
_

It wasn't helping.

Panting, and wheezing, from having held Ryu up so long, Reina slowly climbed the stairs. When she got to the top, a rush of adrenaline at seeing her destination allowed her to head across the bridge, and to the bathhouse, before she finally ran out of energy. Trying to work up enough saliva to wet her throat so she could call for help, she shoved the curtain that covered the entrance, and stepped in, coming face-to-face with a brown-haired woman, whom was quite obviously human. The woman's eyes widened at the sight of her, and Ryu. Her gaze lingered on Ryu, a hint of recognition sparking in her eyes.

"Please," Reina gasped, exhausted, "Please help him..."

-------------

Chihiro walked the halls of the bathhouse alone, something she didn't get to do often, as there was always some one needing help, or an employee that had a question, or she was looking after the twins. She had managed to escape, for now. Sometimes, she just needed some time to herself, and today was one of those days. The constant smell of herbs in the air that she had once found revolting now relaxed her. Though it not smelling horrid probably had something to do with the fact that there had been no guests as of late that need to fouler smelling herbal soaks.

Lin, despite her claims that she was doomed, if she went to see Kamaji, had come back only a few minutes later, looking as if she hoped she would have been gone longer. Most likely because it earned her many 'told you so' looks from her friends. Chihiro cocked her head, when shouts rang out from above. She listened for a moment, and judging from the tones that whomever was yelling was using, it wasn't a fight. It sounded more like cheering. That was a skill one aquired, when one had to run a bathhouse. She had long-since learned to tell the difference between the sources of shouts, or other noises, simply by taking the time to listen for a moment. It saved her from having to run all over the place whenever she heard a commotion. It helped that her hearing had gotten much better.

Continuing on her walk, she wondered if her parents had recieved her letter. She hadn't had that dream again, since the day she sent it, so perhaps they had. Knowing for sure, however, would have been better than merely hoping.

Somehow, Chihiro's feet carried her to the main entrance. _May as well go for a walk around the grounds... _She thought, with a shrug, and started to reach for the curtain, to push it aside, but someone beat her too it.

Standing in front of Chihiro was a rather strange looking woman. Feathered wings brushed the ground; brown, with sliver-white tips. Her eyes were a vivid yellow, rimmed with dark orange. Ebony talons replaced fingernails. Most of her hair, save for two locks, one on each side of her face just barely reached her earlobes, and there were braids evenly spaced along the short hair. One of the longer locks wasn't brown, like the rest, but black, and there were feathers stuck into the braids. Her clothes weren't what Chihiro was used to seeing anymore. In fact, the woman's short black, gold-trimmed skirt, finger-less black gloves, and the lowcut black blouse, that showed off plenty of her belly was something Chihiro might have expected to see in the human world. Though despite her oddness, she was a very attractive girl.

However, it was the man that the exhausted woman was supporting that held Chihiro's attention. Short, somewhat spiky black hair, black, and navy clothing, and pale skin. That was Ryu. The fire spirit who had first helped try to kill her, and her friends, then had turned on his partner and saved them. He was alot paler than normal, and wasn't even concious.

"Please," the bird-like woman gasped, looking as if she were about to fall over, "Please help him..."

Chihiro forced herself to reacte. She relieved the woman of her burden, and shouted for anyone who might be near by. "Yes, Mistress Chihiro?" said a toad, poking his head around the corner. He gasped, when he saw Ryu.

"Go find Haku, now!" Chihiro ordered, "Tell him to get to the infirmary, as fast as possible!" The toad bobbed his head, made a half-bow, and ran to do as he had been ordered. As he left, Chihiro slung Ryu's arm over her neck (_God, he's freezing!... What happened? _), and started to head for the infirmary. "You," she said to the woman, who followed her, anxiously, "What's your name?"

"Reina... Reina Windseeker," the woman replied, "And you're Chihiro... Ryu told me about you, and this bathhouse."

"Well, Reina, would you go open the door, down there at the end of the hall?"

Reina nodded, and ran past Chihiro, to said door, and opened it. She fidgeted, as she waited, shifting her weight from one foot to another. Chihiro was out of breath by the time she had Ryu in the room, and on one of the cots. She was just leaning against the wall to catch her breath, when Haku ran in.

"Chihiro? What happened? One of the toads said th-" he stopped, when he saw Ryu, "Ryu? What's he doing here?"

"He's here because I brought him here," said Reina, "He collapsed, a few hours ago, and we were on our way here, anyway. I thought maybe you could help..."

"I can already tell you," Chihiro chimed in, "That we'll need Zenib-" she was cut off by a yelp of surprise, a grunt, and a loud thud.

"Lin, you unimaginable clutz!" said Haku, whom had been fast enough to mave out of the way. Reina, however had not been so lucky, and was currently trying to distangle herself from Lin, who appearently hadn't seen her, and had collided with her.

"Oh, lay off!" Lin grumbled, as she got up, and pulled Reina up with her, "I just got too excited, that's all."

A sharp intake of breath from Ryu made Reina stop whatever complaint she had thought of using against Lin. All others were ignored, as she knelt next to the fire spirit, smoothing his hair. Chihiro remembered when she had been this worried about Haku... Though that had been because of a curse. Love had healed that. Somehow, she got the impression that if Reina's ovious love for the ailing fire spirit hadn't already helped, it wasn't going too. she had to admit, Reina was keeping herself under control, rather well. 

"I'll fetch Zeniba," said Haku, turning, and leaving the room. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

---------------------------

Both Reina, and Chihiro had been ordered out of the room once Zeniba had arrived. Not that it surprised them. Magic wasn't either of their strong points, and that's what Zeniba had decided had to be used, the moment she'd laid eyes on Ryu.

"I don't mean to seem rude," said Chihiro, settling against the wall, "But what exactly are you?"

'I'm livin' proof as to why you should never mess with magic," Reina replied, seemingly grateful for something to talk about, "about ten years ago, when I came back from the human world, for a while, some young, inexperienced witch decided that she wanted to see if she could find a way to transform an animal spirit into a human-like spirit. So, she used me. I used to be a falcon... Now I'm stuck like this. Haven't met anyone yet who can undo a spell that's been on me for this long. In a way, I'm glad though... After all, if I hadn't been transformed, I'd have just gone back to the human world to continue my work there, and never would have met Ryu."

"How long have you been with him?"

"Three years. I rescued him from a mudpit that he got himself into. He never told me how he got in there."

Chihiro chuckled, "Sounds likes fun."

"It was... He stayed with me for a few days, and he asked me to come with him. Nowhere in particular, just to go with him... And I agr-" she was cut off by a sharp yell of pain, and a long string of swearing. Reina grimaced. She bagan to wrap her wings around herself, to hide the tears she was shedding. "Three years with him, and I never imagined... Never thought that..." She stopped and said nothing more.

"Never thought what?" Chihiro asked, curious.

"That his headaches could get this bad... For as long as I have known him, he's suffered from headaches. They get bad enough sometimes that he can't move for awhile, but they've never been this bad before... One minute he was fine, the next he was on the ground... I carried him here, and every step of the way, I was praying to the gods that he wasn't going to die. That he would be okay. Or that he would at least wake up long enough for me to talk to him, so I could tell him... tell him that I..."

Chihiro nodded, in understanding. She was about to say something, when the infirmary door opened. "Is he all right? Reina asked Zeniba, hopping to her feet in a flash.

Zeniba sighed, "Reina, I don't think tha-"

"Is Ryu all right!?" Reina cut her off, stamping her foot, impatiently.

Another sigh from Zeniba, and Haku appeared at her side. Chihiro caught her husband's eye, and he gave the barest shake of his head. But Chihiro still saw it, and she bit her lip. Reina saw their movements, however, and got even more upset. "What the hell is wrong with him!? Please, tell me!"

"Reina..." said Zeniba, hesitantly, "I'm afraid that Ryu is going to die."

---------------------------

**_END OF PART ONE: CHOICES MADE  
_**

And so ends Part One... 

The next chapter may be a little slow in coming, as I have 8 new books to read (the Circle of Magic/The Circle Opens series) and 2 new Resident Evil games to comeplete. And with all the commotion lately, I haven't written anything since the day I posted chapter 2. 

However, I'll try not to keep you waiting too long...**_  
_**


	4. prt 2 chp 4 Dying?

Ah, here we go! the first chapter of part two! (still not entirely sure how many parts there will be. Just that it's 3 chapters apiece)

So sorry it took this long, but the holidays knocked everything out of whack, what with all those books, and games to enjoy (I'm sorry, but there is nothing that can keep me from a good book (total book worm here)... or a good Resident Evil game...)

By the time I got the inspiration to write again, it was the urge to write something dark, and depressing. (read "Bedtime Story" for the results of that brief morbid mood)

Anywho, enjoy, and remember, us writers thrive on reviews.

**_Part Two: Healing_**

Chapter Four: Dying?

"Going... to... die..." Reina repeated slowly, "What do you mean he's going to die?"

"He's got something in his mind. A mental parasite, if you will... And it's sapping away his life. I'm surprised it's still in him, actually. Most concious-devourers take control of their hosts by this point, and from what I was able to get from him, this started just after he left the bathhouse. Seven years is an unusually long time for these parasites to remain hidden. It's generally a year, if the spirit is lucky..."

"They either kill you," Haku put in, "Or they leave to go on to their next host, or they take over comepletely. Everything that goes with that body becomes theirs. They gather power from death... They go by alot of names. 'concious-devourers', ' mind lurkers' 'soul collecters', the list goes on... This one has a familiar aura to it... Chihiro, you'll know have known 'her'."

Reina beat Chihiro to speaking, "Can I see him?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea... if the parasite decides to leave, then it could easily transfer to you..." Zeniba warned.

"Then let it!" Reina protested, shoving past the witch, and Haku, and going to Ryu, who lay as still, and as pale as he had been before.

"Let her be, Zeniba," said Chihiro, "If power is what that thing wants, I don't think it's Reina we need to worry about... And Haku, you can't have meant Kei... She died..."

"I think the person you _thought _was Kei died... the Parasites don't die. Not without the proper spells. Only the body, and soul of their host dies," Zeniba explained, "And we're going to have to be extra careful... If this is the particular one that was in control of Kei, then it's not likely that it will be able to resist the temptation to cause problems. It's not exactly safe, too keep him here, but I've known that boy since the day he was born, and I don't want to just throw him out.

"Me either," said Chihiro, "but, you're sure there's nothing youcan do to get rid of it?"

It was Haku that answered, "Not even I can. Not without severely damaging his mind."

--------------

Ryu slowly but surely forced his eyes open. It seemed like even the slightest movement caused him pain. At least it had eased off, a little. "Reina?" he said, his voice cracked, and raspy, "Reina, where are you?" Rustling cloth, and a cool hand resting on his forehead answered his question. He was about to say something, when Reina's face came into veiw, and her lips were on his, a split second later.

"Welcome back to the living," she said, when she broke the kiss.

"Who says I'm back?" he croaked, "I figured angels only existed in the afterlife."

She started to smile at his remark, but it quickly turned to a look of worry, when he grimaced in pain.

"That has got to be the worst line, ever," said a slightly familiar female voice, "in any of the worlds." Ryu managed to drag himself up into a half-sitting position so that he could see everything around him. Standing near by was Chihiro, whom had spoken, Haku, and Lin. "So how many times are you going to bring trouble around here?" Lin asked, sarcastically.

"As many times as I can manage, Lin," the fire spirit replied. He started to say something when he saw both Haku, and Chihiro toss Reina a questioning glance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Reina shake her head. Something was going on. "What was that for?" he asked, curious. The three winced, as if they had been caught doing something they knew they shouldn't have done in the first place. "well?" he prodded, when none of them spoke. 

"They know what's wrong with you," Lin said, after a few moments more of silence, earning herself glares that made her shrink back a bit. "Well he needs to know," she said in her own defense.

"Lin's right. What's wrong?" Ryu said, stopping the argument that he knew was brewing.

"Zeniba says there's a...um, _thing_, in your mind," Reina said, hesitantly. _Well, I already knew that, _Ryu thought, but nodded for her to continue, "She says that...That..." she seemed to be searching for the right words. After a moment more, she sighed, and said bluntly, "She says it's going to kill you... and there's nothing that can be done about it..."

Ryu stared for a moment, blinking slowly, pupils shrinking into pinpoints. "Nothing at all?" he finally manage to say.

Everyone in the room shook their heads. "The only thing that could be hoped for is that it transfer's its self to someone else," said Haku, "But if it does that, then we can be certain that something bad is going to happen... Remember Kei?" Ryu nodded. How could he forget? "She was under the control of the same parasite that's in you...If it transfers, it will be to someone with greater power than you, and then we'll have some problems."

-----------------

Reina stretched her wings, as she leaned against the railing of a balcony. Behind her was the room that Chihiro had selected for her. At her insistance, Ryu had been moved in there, though several protective spells had been put on the room, just in case. While Reina hated the fact that they were making it practically impossible for whatever parasite that was killing Ryu, to leave, she couldn't blame them for being cautious. She had heard enough from everyone about their previous run-in with the thing to know it could cause major destruction.

Maybe there was a way to force it to transfer to someone else? Or something, else. Reina would have been happy to select something for it to be put into... The idea of using one of the toads who had made rather unsavory remarks about her was a tempting one. After all, as far as she was concerned, their lives were nothing, compared to Ryu's. But, she reminded herself, that while once she may have been quick to trade one life for another, she wasn't like that anymore.

-----------------

"What're we going to do?" Haku asked, pacing in front of Zeniba.

"We're going to figure out a way to help him," Chihiro replied, stubbornly, crossing her arms.

"And how do you propose we do that? You heard Zeniba, the only way is to get it to go to someone else. Do you really want to sacrafice another person?"

Chihiro started to say something, but bit her lip, and suddenly became very interested in her feet, instead. He was right. "We can't just throw him out and leave him to die," she muttered.

"She's right, Haku, you can't," Zeniba chimed in, not looking up from the knitting that she was doing, "No more than you could resist helping Chihiro, when she first arrived here. Helping is in your nature."

"That was before I had a family to worry about, Zeniba," Haku retorted, "What if that parasite decided to go to Yuki, or Shinko? It couldn't do much, if it took control over them, but if it really is the one that had control of Kei, and it's out for a little payback, then it could damn sure kill them!"

At the mention of their names, said twins looked up from the various toys that held their attention, and stared at their mother and father for a moment, before deciding that they had only been mentioned, not talked to, and went back to playing. Chihiro, again found interest in her feet. He was right. But she was still against just leaving the fire spirit to die. Despite knowing the dangers involved, there was no way she could allow that to happen, and not be haunted by the deicsion for a long while to come. Not to mention, she had the overwhelming feeling that no matter what, they _had _to help Ryu.

"He stays here," she finally said, firmly, meeting Haku's eyes squarely, almost daring him to argue, "We keep the sheild spells up, and we keep the girls away from him, until we can figure out a way to get rid of the parasite. And that, Kohaku," she added, when she saw the young dragon start to open his mouth, "is final." She crossed her arms, gave him a look that clearly said he was never going to win this one.

Knowing that he was defeated, Haku sighed, "Fine... I'll work on strengthening the spells. And I'll have Lin make sure that no guests are near that corridor. You would do well to stay way, as well, Chihiro."

It was after midnight, when Haku finally returned to their bedroom, magically drained. It hadn't exactly been neccessary to put as much strength into the spells as he had, but he wasn't taking any chances. The effort, however, had taken it's toll on him. He practically fell into bed, and it took him a few moments to realize that his wife wasn't there. Instead, she was across the room, staring out the open window, with a far off look in her eyes. Haku watched her for a moment, thinking of how beautiful she looked, with the moonlight making her luminescant, before he dragged himself back to his feet. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and planted a gentle kiss on her exposed shoulder. She jumped slightly, at his touch, as if she hadn't known he was there.

"Is it possible," Chihiro started, breaking the utter silence in the room, "That maybe all this is happening because it was meant to?"

Haku shrugged in response, a movement which the human felt. He wasn't one to believe in pre-ordained destinies. Maybe because he had never liked the idea of never really having a choice in matters. Chihiro, it seemed, could never make up her mind. "You're asking the wrong dragon," he said.

"Well maybe you could point me in the direction of one who might better answer my question?" she replied, with the slightest hint of amusement.

--------------

If Ryu hadn't believed his friends about his condition before, he certainly believed them now. Again, his skull felt like it was going to explode. He was half-hoping it might. That could have possibly been a relief from the pain. But alas, his head stayed firmly in one piece. Several times through out the night, he only half-jokingly suggested that Reina just kill him then and there, if there was no way to avoid. But it was only half in jest. The other half was deadly-serious. And while Reina chuckled at him, the amusement didn't reach her eyes, which stayed clouded with worry.

Also, his constant tossing and turning kept them both awake. Ryu finally suggested that he sleep on the floor; an idea which Reina was strongly against. It took some time, but he eventually persuaded her. With some difficulty, Reina helped him to make a pallet on the floor, so that he was at least somewhat comfortable. It was hard to be more than somewhat comfortable when you were still trying to cope with the fact that no matter what, you were going to die.

"Good night, Reina," he said, as she climbed back into bed. While he couldn't see her, as it was so dark, he knew she was on the very edge of the bad, as close to him as she could be without being on the floor, "I love you." Despite having known he did love her, for so long, he'd never once said it.

He heard a quiet, sharp little intake of breath from the black mass that he could now make out in the darkness. Reina muttered something inaudible, but Ryu didn't need to ask what she had said. He already knew. With that, he went to sleep, feeling as if the pain had lessened, a bit... even if it was only in his mind. 

---------------

Lin grumbled, as she trudged through the dark hallways. A large yawn interupted the grumbles, for a brief second, as she paused, and let the color-spots that the yawn had caused to appear in her eyes, go away. She had been given specific instructions to make sure that no one was in this corridor, and it was proving to be a boring job. Every now and then, a toad who was to curious for his own good about what was going on would find himself heading back to bed, with a thoroughly bruised head, as Lin found it easiest to just give them a good whack with the staff she had made for herself, out of what unburned wood there had been from the former bathhouse. Hitting them was much easier, and less dangerous than shouting at them to go away. Shouting might have gotten her into trouble.

Though, she doubted it would have required shouting... Most of the toads, and other employees knew better than to challenge Lin. She was close with the bosses, which meant she had the authority to order them about. She yawned again, as from above, the clock, in the added clocktower told her that it was five hours past midnight. Hand over her mouth to cover yet another yawn, she slumped against the wall. _Just a short nap, is all I need. Then I can get back to keeping an eye out. _She assured herself that it would only be a short nap, and she slid to the floor, and drifted off to sleep. Never seeing, or hearing a door open, and the shape that made its way through the corridor. 

------------------------

Chihiro shot out of bed, when loud screams echoed throughout the bathhouse. Haku, whom often slept like a log, took a few moments more to wake up than Chihiro had. The sounds also awoke the twins, who immediately proceeded to wail their dislike of being disturbed so early. A second round of screams forced the two into action. Chihiro didn't even bother to dress in her normal attire, of a kimono. Instead, she rushed into a pair of long, loosely fitted black pants, and an overly large blue shirt, before she was rushing for the nearest elevator, her husband hot on her heels. Chihiro noted that it wasn't just screams... There were words mixed in with it, but she couldn't make out what.

The sourced of the disturbance was Reina. She was outside, near the spring, which supplied the water for the baths. The watermill turned, making the water gurlge, and small waterfalls made enough noise, it was a wonder that it was even possible to have heard Reina. _She's got a damn good set of lungs on her, then. _Chihiro thought, trying to see what distressed the woman so. She saw it. The bird spirit was trying desperately trying to reach a thin, pale form that was slowly but surely slipping towards the watermill. Said form was Ryu. Being a fire spirit, the water can't have been good for his health... But both Chihiro, and Haku knew that if he went any farther, a little water was going to be the least of his worries. If he got caught in the gears of the mill, there wouldn't be any getting him out... In one peice, anyway. Lin arrived, a moment later, huffing and puffing. "what a day to forget which way the mill is..."

Reina was on her stomach now, stretching as far as she could. Her fingers just barely touched Ryu's. Chihiro wondered why she didn't fly, then scolded herself for asking an idiotic question. Even if it hadn't been outloud. With her wingspan, the moment she even tried to get close enough to pull Ryu out, she'd be pulled into the water by the mill. Haku transformed into his dragon form, and started to head for the spring, when he saw that Reina had managed to grasp Ryu's hand, and was starting to pull him out... However, the woman didn't have a non-slippery surface to keep her balance on, and she toppled head first into the water.

----------------------

Earlier:

Reina could have sworn she heard the door open, but she saw no one in the room, when she glanced about the room with sleep-filled eyes. She didn't think to look down, at the pile of blankets and pillows. It wasn't until the first rays of sunlight that she looked down, and realized that Ryu was gone. "Ryu?" she called, confused. He wasn't in the room. That much was clear. She stumbled out of bed, still groggy, and pulled on her clothes. Yawning, with her feet scuffing on the wood floor, she passed Lin, who was still laying against the wall, sleeping, mouth wide open.

The bird spirit shook her head, and nudged Lin with her foot.

"Huh? Wha-? Wha's go'n on?" Lin asked, her speech slurred, "I was'n asleep. Was jus' restin' m' eyes is all."

"Sure Lin," Reina scoffed, "c'mon... Ryu's done wandered off."

Lin used her staff to drag herself to her feet, and yawned, "alright, I'll give ya a hand." She stumbled tiredly off down the hall, swaying now and then. and dragging her feet along the floor. It wasn't until several minutes later that she came running back down the hall.

"I found him," she said, out of breath, "He's outside, heading for the spring... Something's weird though. He's walking stiff as a board, like he doesn't really want to- hey wait for me!" Lin interupted herself when she noticed Reina had bolted off as soon as she'd heard "heading for the spring." Water was not a good place for him to be. Reina didn't bother with elevators. They went at a set pace, and if there was someone else in them, it might take longer to get where you wanted to go. No, Reina took the stairs until she finally found a window big enough for her to fit through. Flying was a much easier route.

It didn't take long to find Ryu. He was on the edge of the rocks, surrounding the springs. "Ryu?" Reina said, making him half turn to look at her. She could see his entire body trembling.

"Reina," his voice was low, and raspy, making it difficult to hear, "Stay away... I don't want to hurt you."

"What? Ryu, have you gone mad? Just get away from there, you'll kill yourself!"

"That is the idea, silly child," Ryu replied in a voice that was not his own. The parasite had partial control. "Ryu jumps, dies, and I move on to the next part of my mischeif. Of course, now, I'll have to kill you as well. Pity... you would have been a useful temporary host."

When Ryu turned to face her fully, she saw his eyes were no longer their normal black, but instead a gold-amber color. He took a step towards her, and Reina instinctively backed away. "Ryu, don't, please... It's me, Reina..." she said the first things that came to mind, in order to get herself, and Ryu out of this, "I'm the one who got you out of that mudpit, remember?"

Another step closer, though he looked for a moment as if he was struggling not to move. Reina, on the other hand was struggling _to _move. She found, however, that she was glued to the spot. She still couldn't move when Ryu was maybe four feet from her. "I'm sorry Reina," he said in his real voice, though his eyes remained the same, "So sorry."

Reina started to wrap her wings around herself, as a sheild, but she only got halfway, before Ryu/The parasite had his arms around her, crushing her wings against her body. "I didn't mean for this to happen," he said. It was really Ryu speaking, but he wasn't the one in control, "I knew I should have stayed away from you, and I'm sorry..." Reina could voice no reply before his grip tightened, and his body started to slowly but surely heat up. Reina strained to get out of his grip, but to no avail.

The heat was beginnging to get unbearable, and Reina could feel her exposed skin start to burn, and she knew her feathers were getting scorched. Sweat poured down her face. "Ryu," she gasped, trying to think of a way to get out of this. "Ryu stop, please..." his arms only tighened their hold. Reina decided she had no choice. "RYU, STOP!" she screamed, at the top of her lungs, and shoved away from herself with her wings, forcing Ryu to release her. He stumbled back, and did exactly what Reina had been afraid he'd do. He fell over the edge of the rock. Several thuds later, Reina saw him, half out of the water, blood running down his forehead, and his wrist bent at an odd angle. And he was unconcious.

The fact that he had just tried to kill her never entered the bird spirit's mind, as she searched for and area to climb down to reach him. She layed flat on her stomach, and tried to grab his hand, while simultaneosly screaming for help. She wasn't sure how long it was afterward, but she heard Lin's voice, and sensed the presence of two others. Judging from one of them, it was Haku and Chihiro. No matter. She still had to get Ryu. She scooted forward a bit, and reached even farther. Finally, she managed to grasp the fire spirt's hand. With a sigh of relief, she dragged him upwards, slowly getting to her feet. However, the water that poured off Ryu was enough to make the rock slippery, and as Reina moved her feet to get a better footing, she slipped, and she, and Ryu plunged into the water. 

---------------------

I was desperate to end this chapter with them falling in the water, but leaving it with just having the others watching... So this morning, I added the last part, explaining how Reina and Ryu ended up there in the first place.

Oh, and by the way, it took so long for Ryu to get down there a) because as Lin said, he was walking stiff as a board, practically moving inch by inch, and, b) he knew the parasite's intention, so the times when he would regain control, he would try to get back to his room. and c) because I was tiredm throughout the time I was writing the last half of this chapter (matter of fact, that bit with them yawning was makin me yawn myself... Nearly fell asleep writing it), so I basically screwed up, an had to find a way to save myself, without re-writing everything :p

The review button is right there... -waves hand like a Jedi- you want to hit the button. :p


	5. prt 2 chp 5 Black and White

well, since I comepletely and totally ran out of things to do, I'm posting this early... though ya'll who haven't been reveiwing gotta start! My review cookie jar is getting too full, as I haven't been able to hand enough of them out lately... so help a girl out :p

Anyway, this one is a bit short, I know, and I;m sorry, but this is more of just a filler chap...

**_Part Two_**

Chapter Five: Black and White

Chihiro watched nervously as Haku drug the two spirits out of the water, in his massive jaws. He placed them on the ground, well away from the water, and changed back into his human form. Both Reina, and Ryu coughed, ridding their lungs of the icy water.

"Are they okay?" Lin and Chihiro chorused, moving towards them.

Haku nodded, and said something inaudible to Reina, whom was barely concious.

------------------

"Well, the healing's done," said Haku, "But he'll have to keep off his leg, and not use his hand for awhile, otherwise the bones are just going to break again."

"Thanks, Haku," said a still wet Reina. She was wrapped up in a thick blanket, and wearing a shirt that hung down to her knees, as her clothes were drying. It had been difficult, finding a shirt to wear, as her wings made normal shirts a problem. Her's she liked because it dipped under the joints. After a few moments of silence, and after tiring of hearing her teeth chatter, she said, rather quietly, "He tried to kill me, before he ended up in the water..." Her three companions stared at her. "It was him... but at the same time, it wasn't... That thing was controlling him... It said that part of it's plan was to kill Ryu, and go on with the next part of its mischeif..."

"I would hardly call forcing someone to commit suicide 'mischeif'" Chihiro grumbled, "But maybe we should think about keeping him somewhere that he can't get out of... somewhere that he can't hurt anyone."

"yeah... like the basement," Lin chimed in, not sounding the least bit sarcastic. Reina threw her a glare, as if daring her to even try. "What? That's somewhere that he couldn't get out of... though there might be a few rats down there he could hurt, but that would be doing us a favor..."

"No one is putting him in the basement," Chihiro said, stopping Reina from using whatever angry reply she was trying to think up, "Though Lin, if you're worried about rats in the basement, you can take one of the toads down there, and find them yourself."

Lin took a step back hands held out in front of her, "Rats? What rats? There aren't ANY rats here..."

"You're just afraid of them," Haku told her, then continued with the real issue. What to do with Ryu. "We can't keep up here. He may go after someone else. But we don'r have any where el-"

He was cut off by a loud thud from inside Reina and Ryu's room, followed by a frustrated cry of "DAMN IT!"

None of them wasted any time in opening the door to see what had happened. Ryu was sitting up on the bed, head down, eyes shut tight. His unharmed hand was resting on the bedside table, balled into a fist. It was appearent that he had hit the table, from the slight impression around his fist. He had hit it pretty hard. When he realized the door was open, he looked up. His once-again black eyes landed on Reina, and he stared for a minute.

"You're okay..." He said, after a few moments, "I thought that... I remembered what happened..." He tried to get up, though his broken leg kept him from doing so.

"So you remember all of what happened?" Haku asked, "_all _of it?"

Wincing, Ryu replied, "I remember standing near the spring, and I remember what I did to Reina... I don't recall anything after saying sorry..."

"You were unconcious," said Chihiro, "She knocked you into the water.You both nearly drowned."

"No wonder I'm freezing," Ryu muttered. "It's going be awhile before I warm up again..."

"I think that's the least of the things we should be worrying about," Lin said, "The more important thing would be too continue trying to figure out what we're going to do..."

"You're not going to do anything," said Ryu, "As soon as I can walk, I'm leaving. Reina, I want you to stay here."

"That fall must have addled your brains, for you to think I'm going to let you leave, Ryu, let alone by yourself," Reina replied, with an air of haughtiness that clearly said she wasn't going to allow him to win that argument, "You're not going anywhere... and if you try, I'll trck you down myself, and drag you back here, kicking and screaming if I have to. And don't think I won't."

Ryu grimaced. Chihiro got the feeling that he knew just how serious the woman was. "There is no reason for the boy to leave..." said a voice, behind the four who were crammed in the doorway. They all tried to move out of Zeniba's way, by fully entering the room, however, they were already straining to fit, and the forward motion only made it harder. They barely got free without falling to the floor. Zeniba walked in, as if she hadn't just witnessed something that was actually rather comical, and stood next to Ryu, "The parasite's gone."

"WHAT?" chorused the five others, "Where is it?" Haku continued.

Zeniba shook her head, "I don't know. I can't track it. I just know it's not in Ryu's mind anymore. It could be in anyone of the guests or the employees... Even an animal, or a bug. I'm afraid I can't check everything. I don't think I could work the spells on even half of the guests...Not even with help."

_Yuki, and Shinko! _ Chihiro thought, remembering what Haku had said the previous night, about the parasite being able to kill them easily, if it were out for revenge. Haku caught the thought, and his head turned sharply in her direction. _I think we'd better get upstairs, and get as many protection spells on them as I know... _He thought, heading for the door, Chihiro following right behind them. They left without a word to any of the others.

"I'm pretty sure we just missed a mental conversation..." Lin commented, dryly, watching the pair leave.

------------------

Most of the day was spent asking every employee, and guest that the possibly could if they had felt strange at all that morning, or if anyone they knew had been. They didn't get many answers. Many of the guests and employees alike only wanted to complain about the screams they had heard earlier that morning. It was getting exetremely frustrating. There was only one guest they didn't speak to; the World Weaver witch, Kyoko. She was a spirit whom only spoke in the intricate dream worlds she could create. She was also one of Chihiro's favorite guests to have around. She spoke as much with her gestures, and expressions as anyone else could with words, and she was always kind.

By the time the sun set, they were still no closer to finding the parasite then they had been that morning. Not to mention, they were all mentally exhausted. Your mind could only put up with so many panicky thoughts before it got tired. Though worry was still running around in circles in the back of Haku's mind, like an annoying little ferret, biting and gnawing as it continued it's circles. Right then, Haku wanted nothing more than to find the parasite and be rid of it, just so he could squash the ferret for good. The desire got even stronger, when he looked across the room, at Chihiro, and Reina who were entertaining Yuki and Skinko. Most dragons were protective of their mates, and offspring, sure, but Haku was willing to do _anything _to protect his family. _Anything. _ And if that meant speaking to each person in the bathhouse over and over again, and draining every ounce of power he had to keep up the sheilding spells he had on them, so be it.

Unfortunately, his wife noticed the fact that he was looking tired. She headed his way, Yuki voicing her complaints at being taken out of grabbing range of Reina's wings, which both she and her sister thought were great things to yank on. "You're wearing yourself out," said Chihiro, sitting next to Haku, "Why not ask Zeniba for help?"

"Because I don't need it," Haku replied, bluntly.

"Don't need it..." Chihiro pondered, "Or don't want it? I know your limits as well as you do, and you're reaching them at too fast of a pace. The girls _do _have ways to protect themselves. You don't have to keep adding power to the spells like this..." after a brief pause, she added, "and you can take the one off of me too," making Haku grimace, like a child who's been caught getting into the cookie jar.

"Yes, I do, my love. And the one on you stays as well. I'm taking no chances..." He leaned forward, and took Yuki from her, "I'll put the girls to bed. You should get some sleep. We've got alot of work tomorrow."

Chihiro sighed, and nodded, in reluctant agreement, and watched as Haku went to gather up Shinko, whom had to be pried from Reina's arms. Chihiro stretched, and yawned, getting up, as well, and going to see how Ryu was doing. As he had been all day, he was still sulking. When Chihiro asked him why, he replied, "I could have killed her... And don't say it was because I was being forced too... I could have fought it o-" he didn't get much farther before a brown and white blur came into Chihiro's line of vision, and collided with Ryu's head. "Ow! What was that for!?"

"That," said Reina, folding the wing she had used to whack Ryu back into place, "Was for being silly. You _couldn't _have fought it off, and you know it, so don't start with that, just do you can blame yourself, because I'm not going to stand for it."

Chihiro chuckled a bit and let them argue. They would be at it for a while. As everyone was holed up in her's and Haku's quarters for the moment, there wasn't going to be much of a chance for peace and quiet. Lin, she knew for a fact could run her mouth all through the night. That was, when she could keep her eyes open long enough. Being able to talk had been an attribute that had been useful, the night Shinko and Yuki had been born. Haku had been so worried, and panicked that he couldn't have sat still, even if he had wanted to. Most of his time that evening had been spent pacing back and forth outside the room, where Chihiro had been coming up with some rather nasty curses, mainly directed ater her husband, for making her go through such pain. Granted, Zeniba had found it rather amusing, and said she would have liked to see Haku's face, should he ever find out what Chihiro had been saying about him. Chihiro on the other hand, was glad that Lin had been able to constantly chatter at Haku, and keep him from letting his worry get the better of him, and just go in, anyway.

She laughed, at the memory now, though it hadn't been very funny at the time. _Maybe this time around, I'll just request that he be allowed in with me... _She thought, with a glance towards the nursery, where she could hear Haku's voice, as he settled the twins down. _'This time around' for what? _Chihiro smacked her forehead at having been so forgetful as to allow that to be a free thought. _Well? Do I have to go digging in your head to figure it out? _The human sighed. She hadn't wanted to say anything to him yet, not with as worried about her as he was, anyway. This would only double it. Sighing, she thought back, _you think Yuki and Shinko would like a younger sibling?_

It was a moment before she got any indication that he had even heard. She would have rather he had just thought his reply. But alas, he appeared in the door way of the nursery in a flash, and stared at her for a moment. Chihiro barelyt had time to even register that he was standing there, before he was across the room, had her in a tight embrace, and spun her around, a few times. By the time he let her get her feet back on the ground, Chihiro felt everyone's eyes on them. Suddenly, Haku remebered that his wife had kept him in the dark about this, and let the tiniest hint of annoyance seep into his voice as he asked, "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because I know what you're like, and how badly you worry," Chihiro replied bluntly, catching a glimpse of the confused expressions on her friends' faces out of the corner of her eye. "And you're already tiring yourself out enough without worrying about me, even more."

Haku sighed, partly in exasperation, "Hell, Chihiro, that's no excuse, and you know it. Besides, I'm a dragon, I'm supposed to be protective."

"Can someone fill me in here," Lin commented.

"Cause I think we just missed something," Ryu finished

Chihiro was momentarily glad that Zeniba wasn't in the room. She'd have told everyone. The old witch had a strange way of knowing everything that was going on around her._Let's leave them in the dark, until all this is over... _She mentally suggested, and Haku agreed. _Though I would appreciated it if _ I _hadn't been left in the dark, you know. How far along are you, anyway?_

Two months... Maybe three. They continued to chat mentally for a long, while much to the annoyance of the others, until everyone was so tired that it was hard for any of them to stay awake. _Strange though... _Chihiro thought, as sleep overtook her, _I wasn't feeling tired a minute ago..._ And as she let her eyes close, she thought she saw a flash of woman who muttered a spell over and over again, and for some reason, Chihiro got the strange sense that the spell reached into even the human world. An alarm sounded in the back of her mind, telling her to wake up. But she paid it no mind. She was tired, and she needed some sleep. She dreamed, as well, but for some reason, it seemed more real that a dream. Alot more real.

----------------------------

_Chihiro was looking down at the bathhouse, from up in the sky, somehow. She didn't question it. After all, it was a dream. In the distance, she saw two tapered clouds of black smoke heading for the building. Something was wrong with the ground, behind them. The grass was a different color. Instead of it's normal lush green, it was a dull grey. For a moment, she thought it was stone, but it wasn't. It still moved. A small rabbit, that wandered into their path, however, was turned to stone. A rough granite, from the look of things. The clouds wound their way around the entire outside of the bathhouse, turning it to the same dull grey as the grass. As they finished the grounds, Chihiro realized that it looked as if she were looking at an old black and white movie._

Suddenly, she was no longer at the bathhouse. She wasn't even in the spirit world. She was in the living room of her parents' home. They were asleep on the couch. But there was something odd about them. Tiny particles of something covered their bodies. The particles glittered in the light, looking alot like gold dust. Somehow, she knew, as people in dreams often know things they shouldn't, that it couldn't be seen normally. But in a dream, anything can be seen. Dreamdust. The word came to her, as she took a closer look at her parents. On the table, beside the couch was a photo of themselves, and her, before they had moved. Next to it, was one of her, on her thirteenth birthday. The smile she wore in it, was genuine, not faked, to please her family, like so many later photos of her were.

Movement caught Chihiro's eye, and she looked towards the door way. The clouds of smoke were here too... They went about their business of ridding the house of any color, and circled her parents at a high speed, and in a "puff of smoke" her parents disappeared. Chihiro herself disappeared from the house as well, and found herself in one of the several rooms for the employees. The room practically shone from all the glittering dust that covered the sleeping women. This room was already colorless, but the smoke clouds weren't done yet. They worked their way over the women, and each one easily turned to the same granite as the poor rabbit on the grounds had.

She went from room to room, seeing guests and employees either already stone, or being turned to it. Zeniba had already fallen victim to the clouds, as had the rude tree spirit whom had spoken to Chihiro several days before. Strangely though, Chihiro remained emotionless at seeing the people she knew like this... That was until she found herself in Yuki and Shinko's room, and watched as the clouds did their work on the girls. She tried to get to her daughters, to stop the inevitable process... But she found that she was unable to move. As she struggled to get to them, the room disappeared, and she was suddenly looking down at herself, Haku, Lin, Reina, and Ryu. All were covered in the glittering dust. The room, like the rest of the bathhouse was devoid of color. But the occupants however, weren't stone. Nor were they black and white.

_  
Shaking her head, at the silliness of dreams, Chihiro settled back into her body. She almost laughed at herself for having even let herself reacte to the dream... After all, none of what she'd seen was even possible... Was it?_

------------------------------

Haku opened his eyes, unaware for a moment that he had even fallen asleep. There was a dull grey light coming in through the window, as if it were overcast outside. He sat up, and looked around. It took him a moment to reacte to what he was seeing. After all, it wasn't every morning that you woke to find that your room was in black and white. He blinked several times. _Have I gone color blind? _He wondered, and looked at himself, and the others. They stuck out in the room like sore thumbs, as they were still assuredly in color. _So it's not me... I wonder if that's a good thing or not... _ He started the wake Chihiro up, then reconsidered. What if this was just a dream? It was possible... And he would be willing to bet that even in a dream, Chihiro would be angry as a wounded bear if she was woken up...

She was, however, already awake.

"Oh god..." she said, as the others stirred from their sleep, "It wasn't a dream..." she rubbed her eyes, then suddenly froze, "Shinko... Yuki..." She was up and across the room before Haku evne had time to realize what she'd said.

Chihiro found what she had been afraid of, waiting for her in the nursery. Yuki and Shinko were both now tiny sleeping statues, and nothing more...

---------------------------

Yes I am aware that this was weird... All shall be explained in time... Trust me.

And as for now... Hit the review button and tell me how weird :p


	6. prt 2 chp 6 Woven World

I am REALLY sorry for the delay in this, I really am, and I am VERY VERY sorry for how short this chapter is... But I have been somewhat distracted with my RP game, lately... Lin recently died, to save her lover (a half-unicorn by the name of Nivek) so that caused a big stir... as did the fact that she can be brought back... Not to mention, Chihiro and her friend Sakura are really close to getting their mates (Haku, and the very character Ryu is based off of: Ichro) back from Yubabba and the demon Hoshiro.

Oh and I don't know if anyone caught the Stephen King reference I had in earlier chapter...  
_Though worry was still running around in circles in the back of Haku's mind, like an annoying little ferret, biting and gnawing as it continued it's circles._

Anyone who had read Eyes of the Dragon, should have recogtnized that as the same way Randall Flagg describes his sense of worry... as any annoying little ferret, biting and gnawing.

Oh and a cookie to anyone who catches the anime reference in this chapter... Meaing what show is it from and who says it.

**_Part Two_**

Chapter Six: Woven World

"What the-... What's going on!?" Reina exclaimed from the other room.

Chihiro walked stiffly back into the main room, Haku right behind her, "I don't know," she said to no one in particular. Her own voice, and the others' sounded strange. Kind of dragged out, and echoey. Like voices in a dream. "But whatever's going on... I'm pretty sure we're the only ones left still able to move... Everyone else is..."

"a statue..." Haku finished.

"How do you know?" Ryu asked, standing abruptly. _Wait... Standing... My leg's broken... How am I standing? _"Not that I'm complaining... But Haku, isn't that healing you put on me supposed to take longer than a day?" The dragon nodded, giving Ryu a look that said he was as puzzled as he was.

"Okay," said Reina, "Are we all in one dream or something, 'cause this is freaking me out, and if it is a dream, I just want to wake up."

"You're not the only one," Lin mumbled looking around, "Though when we do wake up, I'm killing whoever has the mind that came up with the color scheme. It sucks, and it's creepy."

Chihiro ignored their speculations about this just being a dream. She hoped they were right, but was betting they were wrong. It felt less like a dream than what she had seen the night before. _Wait... Last night... Oh no... Mom and dad!_

-------------------------

Kenshin and Yukimi woke to unfamiliar, and uncolorful surroundings. Yukimi thought for a moment that she was dreaming. Surely this couldn't be real. The last solid thing she remembered was a show that she and her husband had been watching. She had fallen asleep somewhere in the lines of: '_He says "don't die under my command, you're enough of a pain without the paperwork" that was it' _ and '_Tell him "fine, there's no way I'm dying before you do, you morally banrupt colonel with a god complex" ' _At least, that was when she thought she had fallen asleep. It was kind of hard to remember. Actually feeling tired had never really hit her... She had just fallen asleep.

Kenshin thought there was something vaguely familiar about the place, but couldn't quite place it. Then, it hit him. He dug into his back pocket, for the slips of paper he always kept with him. One was the letter Chihiro had sent, the other was the drawing of what she said was her home, and herself and her family. He looked at the sketch of the bathhouse, and realized that that was indeed where he and his wife were.

"I think we're in Chihiro's home..." he said slowly, his mind still not totally wanting to accept where they are.

"How on earth is that possible?" Yukimi asked, giving her husband an odd look. He shoved the paper under her nose. He pointed to one of the rooms Chihiro had drawn in great detail. It was that room alright. Full of huge baths, a brigde over head. It was comepletely and totally silent, as well. Yukimi backed up, for no other reason than that she had chills running down her spine, and tripped over something. Landing hard on her rear, she groaned, and got up, looking at what she had tripped over. It was an overly large toad, dressed in robes, and made of stone. _Who puts a statue in the middle of the walkway? _ she wondered, and looked around. That was when she realized that there were more statues around. Some were human in appearence, most weren't.

There was something very familiar about this, but Yukimi couldn't quite place it. It was like a memory from a dream she'd had long ago. Not so much as the room, but more the odd people.

Movement and a flash of color caught her eye, and both she and her husband looked up sharply. Standing at the end of the rows of screens, that separated the baths were five people, sticking out against the black and white world like a sore thumb. One of the men, a tall, spiky haired youth had a sickly look about him. There was a tall thin woman, with brown hair that nearly reached the floor. There was a rather odd woman, with black and brown hair, and hawk-like wings protruding from her back. The second man looked familiar... And he also looked human, though something told the pair that he was anything but. And then there was the third woman. Tall, skinny, waist-length brown hair, and a purple hair tie shining on her wrist. There was no mistaking who this was. She was older, yes, by seven years, but that didn't mean that Yukimi and Kenshin didn't recognize their daughter. 

--------------------

Chihiro froze as she stared down the rows of screens. Was she imagining things or were her parents really standing there, looking at her in as confused of a way as she was looking at them? She started to walk slowly and stiffly towards them. She felt Haku's hand on her shoulder, and heard his footsteps as he followed her. His arm slipped around her waist, partially to comfort her, and partially, she knew, to let the humans know that they weren't going to be taking her anywhere. Dragons were possessive creatures.

The rest of the group stayed behind.

Haku released his wife when they were standing directly in front of her parents. Her mother approached her, staring at her for a moment, then without warning enveloped her in a tight embrace. Her father was next, wrapping his arms around both his wife and daughter. Finally, Chihiro had to struggle out of their grip.

Strangely, there were no tears, no long speeches, only one question; "How have you been?", from her mother.

"I've been fine, Mom," Chihiro replied, "really... " She heard footsteps behind her, signalling the arrival of the others. 

"You going to introduce us to your friends, Chihiro?" her father asked, voice somehow stiff, as if he were working hard to be polite.

Chihiro nodded, "this is my husband, Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi."

"But to save you from such a mouthful," Haku said, with a bow, "You may call me Haku. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Chihiro hid a pleased smile behind her hand as both her parents gave the man a look of approval. Somone cleared their throat from behind her, and Chihiro got to business, "This is Lin," Lin stepped forward and bobbed her head, "This is Ryu, a fire spirit," Ryu stepped forward, and bowed, making sure he met the humans' eyes for a moment, letting them flash the firey orange they did when he used his power, "And Reina, a former bird spirit," Reina stepped forward, and half bowed, spreading her wings slightly.

"Not former," she added, to the humans, "Just because my form has been changed doesn't alter what I am," she jabbed Chihiro with the tip of her wing, "You should know that. You're married to a spirit who can no longer take the form of what he once truly was."

After a brief, confused, pause from Chihiro's parents, her father said, "Where are your children? And what is going on here?"

Chihiro bit her lip, and fidgeted for a moment before answering, "We're not really sure what's going on... We woke up and found the place like this... As for the girls..." she gestured to the rest of the statues in the room, "It seems everyone but us ended up like this...Including the girls."

"But," Lin put in, "We're not entirely sure if this is even real."

"You mean _you're _not," Ryu grumbled, "I'm fairly sure it's a dream... After all, I went to sleep with broken limbs, and now I'm fine..."

Any further conversation was interupted by a gust of wind that carried a voice with it. None could quite make out the words, but all felt compelled to follow the wind, and see where it took them. Where it took them was to a place that didn't even exist in the bathhouse anymore. The chambers beneath, where Kei had been killed. The bathhouse residents were certainly puzzled by this, and Lin began doubting that this was real at all. Though when she tripped, and scraped the bottom of her foot on a sharp bit of stone, it certainly felt real. Real enough to swear over, as she hopped along, trying to stop her foot from bleeding everywhere. When it didn't stop, her curses got ever louder, and ever stronger. Chihiro almost laughed, when she began using curses that she herself had unintentionally taught her friend, when she had been angry.

"Lin, quiet," said Reina, " I hear something."

"sure it wasn't big mouth that you heard?" Ryu asked, earning a slap from Lin that left a bloody handprint on his arm.

_They're like a bunch of children... _Yukimi found herself thinking, _Especially Lin, and Ryu. I wonder if they've ever not fought. _ It reminded her of how Chihiro had once argued with her friends. Always fighting, but never in a serious way. But now that Lin was silent, the human realized that Reina had indeed been right. There was something there to hear, other than constant swearing. There was the voice again, calling them all forward. Yukimi wasn't to sure she wanted to follow it, but the others, her husband included were continuing steadily forward.

"What happened down here?" she asked her daughter, when she got the odd feeling that they were being watched.

"A few weeks after I came here, a cat demon tried to stir up some... trouble..." Yukimi raised an eyebrow at her daughter, and the girl sighed, "Alright, she tried to kill everyone... Damn near succeeded, too. She had Ryu burn the bathhouse down, and that killed alot of the people here. She had me, and Lin locked up down here. She brought Haku down later. Ryu helped us escape, and Haku killed Kei, the demon...After that, this place collapsed... We never rebuilt it."

"You left near death experiences out of that letter," Yukimi grumbled, knowing it would do no good to worry now.

"Well, would you have rather I had written about that, then telling you I was alright, which I am, and telling you about Yuki and Shinko?"

Yukimi's reply was cut off when someone laughed in the darkness ahead. The entire group froze for a moment, before continuing foward. For a moment they were in pure darkness, before the room was lit by a pale blue glow, that got brighter and brighter, until everything could be seen clearly.

In front of them was a tall woman with saphire blue hair, silver skin, and wore a dark blue kimono. "I see that you have finally made it... It took you long enough." She spoke in a perfectly clear voice, which contrasted greatly against the whispery, echoey tones everyone else's still possesed.

"Kyoko!" said Haku, "Should have known..."

"Indeed you should have," the woman, Kyoko, replied, "After all, you questioned everyone but her, and she was the spirit with the most useful power in the whole bathhouse," she laughed, "But you didn't bother did you? All because World Weavers can't speak outside of their dream worlds. I must say, that was one bad thing about taking over Kyoko, but I figured I was going to create a dream world anyway, so I could talk to you then. Though I was rather hopong for us to have been two spirits short." her brilliantly purple eyes landed on Ryu and Reina. 

"What do you want, Kyoko?" Chihiro asked, "Or should I call you Kei?"

"Oh, I have no name," the woman replied, glancing at Yukimi and Kenshin, whom were speechless, "I have gone by _thousands. _Just as I will go by thousands more once I'm done with you."

"And what exactly do you intend to do?" Lin asked, sarcastically, as if she weren't expecting an answer.

Kyoko only grinned, showing sharp silver teeth, "Did you know, that people say if you die in a dream, you die in real life?" she inquired, as if it were a perfectly normal question, "Well, you're going to find out. And I'm guessing it's true. If it's not, well there are plenty of other spirits in the real bathhouse that could kill you in your sleep."

With a flash of blue she disappeared, leaving the group to wonder just what kind of surprises she had in store for them... Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be pleasant, that was for sure.

**_END OF PART TWO_**

I am afraid there might be a delay between this part, and part 3, for, as I said things are moving at a faster pace in my RP than I expected, AND I recently started ANOTHER game... so cut me some slack :p


	7. Notice

As of now, there will be no further updates for this story for quite some time... I have hit a serious case of writer's block on this one, and haven't even managed to write so much as a word on the next chapter... I am sorry to those of you who read the previous chapters...


	8. Notice 2

Well, quite some time went by fast... I think I can get back into the swing of writing...

I think all I needed was a little break without stressing about the next update... Watching tv, and movies, and reading have given me a few ideas. Though updates will still be slower than they were before...


	9. prt 3 chp 7 Living Nightmare

well, this one will be a short chapter... Short and bloody. You'll have to forgive me for both. The reason for the short: Where this one ends seemed like a real good place to end it. And the bloody: Well, I watched Saw III (those of you who have not seen the Saw movies must go out and by them now... they are the most awsome horror movies around) and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, so that kinda got my need to write a semi-horror/gore chap going...

What can I say? Billy Loomis, from Scream was right... Movies don't make psychos, movies make psycho's more creative... And I, unfortunately for some people am one of those psychos, who gets more creative from watching movies... Or TV...

The concept of this chapter was brought about by the season one Episode of Buffy the Vapire Slayer "Nightmares" in which all of sunnydale succumbs to its worst fears, and has to live through them...

Oh and I think for this one a disclaimer is needed: I don't in anyway own Spirited away, or it's characters... I do however own Ryu, Reina, Shinko, Yuki, Kaji, Kei, and Kyoko... I don't Own Nivek Nogard, as he is the creation of a friend of mine. Remember that!

On with the update

**_Part Three: The other Side of Sleep_**

Chapter Seven: Living Nightmare

"Wasn't going to be pleasant" didn't even begin to describe what was in store for them. As soon as Kyoko had disappeared, the silence that had filled the bathhouse was broken by a sound that was suspiciously like white noise. The entire group clapped their hands over their ears, as the sound got louder and more high-pitched. It increased in volume, until the spirits, whose hearing was much better than that of the humans, thought their eardrums might burst. Finally, the noise subsided, and they were able to remove their hands from their ears. 

"What the hell was that?" Kenshin asked, tugging on his earlobe, with a pained expression, "and why do I get the feeling that it was nothing good?"

"I think it was whatever Kyoko has in store for us getting loose," said Reina, her feathers ruffled. She shuddered, "I never want to hear that sound again... ever."

"I think I can agree with you there, Reina, darling," said Ryu, with plunging one finger into his ear and wiggling it feircly, "I'm not going to hear right for a week.

"If we live a week," Lin muttered.

"Is she always a nay-sayer?" Yukimi asked Haku, who nodded, and added, "Isn't she, Chihiro?" When he got no answer, he turned to look at his wife. A child's laugh made him look even faster. Chihiro hadn't answered because she was too busy staring at three small children, who sat in the corner, playing with pebbles that littered the floor. The two girls appeared to be four, maybe five years old. One with shoulder length spiky brown hair, the other with longer, sleeker black hair. Aside from the difference in hair color, they were identical. Haku didn't need to even think about who they were. Yuki and Shinko. The boy was about three, with hair so dark green it nearly appeared to be black.

Unlike the eyes of the girls, each of his were the same color; a bright teal, flecked with darker green, and brown. Face-wise he was the spitting image of Haku, when he'd been that young. _Is that... Could that be the child Chihiro carries now?_ He wondered, as Chihiro knelt next to the children.

"Hello," said Chihiro, drawing the rest of the group's attention to the children. 

"Hi, Momma," said Shinko, wiggling her fingers in a wave, as she poked the boy with her free hand. The younger child smacked the girl's hand away. The girl faked a look of hurt, "You should be nice, Kaji," she scolded, "Momma and Daddy are here now. You don't want to get into trouble like Yuki does."

"Um," said Lin, "Pardon me, but what's going on?"

Upon the interuption, All three children stood, the girls standing on either side of Kaji, holding his hands, "Follow us," all three said at once, in such a way that it actually sent chills down Haku's spine. He got the feeling that following them was a very bad idea. A very very bad idea. But it was too late. They were already heading for the stares, and Chihiro, as if in a trance, was following. 

Still with a heavy sense of forboding, Haku gestured for the others to follow as well. They did so without a word. Haku caught up with Chihiro, and tried to speak to her. But she didn't seem to be able to hear him. Her eyes were glassy, and she walked stiffly, muttering to herself, all the while, the children would throw a glance back at her, and laugh. Each time they did so, they sounded less and less like children to Haku, and more and more like something leading the group into a trap.

--------------------------

Chihiro wasn't even aware of where she was anymore. The moment the girl who looked like Shinko had spoken, she had been caught in an illusion. She was still in the bathhouse, but it didn't even look like the one in the dream world anymore. It was dark, and eerie, cobwebs hung everywhere, and there was a sound, carried on breezes that floated through broken windows. She couldn't identify the sound, but it sounded almost like wailing. She'd have recognized this anywhere. This was a nightmare that had plauged her mind for several years after the bathhouse had burned down. She had hoped to never see it again.

She saw flashes of the three children ahead of her, as if the two dream worlds were colliding with one another, and she heard their laughter, of which she shared the same opinion as her husband, it sounded less and less like children each time. But that didn't stop her from moving forward, slowly, afraid of what she was going to see when she turned the next corner, or the next, or even the one after. She knew what she would find eventually, and didn't want to go forward. But something forced her too. It was different from her nightmare in the sense that in a way she was actually living it this time.

When she'd had the nightmare, she was watching herself, not actually going through the dark halls of her own accord. And no matter how much she shouted at herself to turn back, she never listened.

Much like she wasn't listening now.

She came to the bath room, to find that all the screens had been removed, and the baths covered with wooden planks. Atop the big tub was a long crate, shaped like a coffin, open side on the floor, and to the back was a limp form. Extra height had been added to the coffin-crate, so it made a makeshift table at about waist-height. Trembling, because she knew what she was going to find, Chihiro walked stiffly forward, blinking back tears. She knew all too well what awaited her on top of that crate...

-----------------------

Ryu watched his friend carefully, as Haku tried to snap her out of her trance like state. They were the bath room now, and something weird was going on. The room... flickered. That was the best way for Ryu describe it. Flickering from the dull grey, to an eerie almost luminescant blue, as if it were night-time. Objects in the room flickered as well. One moment, the statues and screens were , the next they weren't, and in an eye blink, they were back again. But the really odd part came when Chihiro walked right through one of the screens, to climb up the side of the large tub. She looked for a moment as if she were going to step over the edge, and into the tub, but instead, she walked on thin air, until she was over the middle of the tub.

Lin and Haku tried to follow her, and both nearly fell. It seemed that they weren't supposed to get to the woman. Ryu glanced at the humans, and noticed Yukimi was clutching her husband's arm tight enough to make the man wince. Haku was pacing back and forth like a caged tiger, muttering to himself, and all the while, the three children just watched from a distance, laughing.

A sob from Chihiro brought his attention back to her. She was reaching out to something that only she could see, and biting a hole through her lip. The room flickered again, and Ryu could briefly make out what she was seeing. Someone tied down to a rather blood-stained crate.

"Are you seeing this or am I imagining things?" Reina asked, as the room returned to 'normal'.

"It's not your imagination," said Kenshin, "Unless I'm hallucinating too..."

Haku was striding towards the children, only laughed louder at their confusion. "You wake her up!" he said, furious, "You wake her up, now!"

Chihiro screamed, distracting the dragon from the three for a moment. Chihiro was crouched down, with her knees pulled up to her chest, looking like she was backed up into a corner, under something. The room flickered again, and Haku saw a flash of blood dripping down, coming closer and closer to landing on Chihiro, and the woman cowered away from it, sobbing, and staring at her own bloodstained fingers as if they were monsters. He rounded on the children again, "I said wake her up, dammit!"

"We're not supposed to," said the boy, Kaji, earning a smack from Shinko, who muttered, "sh!"

Yuki giggled, "She has to face what she fears, or she goes mad," she rocked back and forth on her heels, giggling madly, "She'll go mad... She can't bear seeing what she is, she'll never face it..."

-----------------------------

Chihiro got to the center of the large tub, and opened her eyes, as she had kept them tightly shut on the way up. She saw what she feared she would. The form bound to the crate was Haku. Hair matted in blood, clothes torn, dirty, and bloodstained. She reached out, and brushed her fingers over his cold, pale cheek. There was just the barest bit of movement from his chest. He was alive, for now. Chihiro bit her lip, hard enough to draw blood. She had seen this before, many, many times. She couldn't let it get too her. But it was. This was far more real than her nightmares had ever been. She could actually smell the blood. The air was thick with the scent, and it made her sick. 

Footsteps made her freeze. She knew what was coming, she didn't have to turn and look to know who, and what was coming. Instead, she ducked through a hole in the crate, and crouched under it. It wasn't by choice. In her head, she was screaming to herself to get up and out. To go and face what she feared, but her body wouldn't listen. It stayed scrunched up in the corner, watching through the cracks and holes as a figure clad in a tan and black kimono approached with a cat-like grace. It was Kei, that much Chihiro knew. 

She knew exactly how the next few moments were going to play out. There was the sound of a blade being removed from a sheath. Then the squish, crush, and thunk as it peirced through flesh, bone, and then hit the wood. Blood started to gush down through the cracks in the wood, pouring down onto Chihiro. She couldn't help the scream that escaped from her lips as she tried tp move out of the flow of her husband's blood. A laugh came from Kei. There was the sound of a blade cutting through flesh again, this time directly over Chihiro's head, sending what seemed like as much blood as a body could possibly hold onto her head. Several more times came the sound that was going to torment Chihiro for a while to come, and blood rained down each time.

_Get up! _she screamed at herself, _get up, and face her! You're being a coward!_

However, that was when things differed from the nightmare. Kei actually reached under the crate, and drug her out with one blood-soaked hand. "There you are, my pet," said the woman, "I just wanted to see you too see your beloved dragon take his last breath."

Chihiro struggled against the woman's grip as she was forced to face Haku. She froze, and stared in horror at a sight she was never going to forget, but hated to remember. Haku was literally in peices on the crate, though somehow by some m-... no, it wasn't by some miracle, it was by some curse, he was still alive. Just barely but he was alive. Kei placed the rather deadly looking blade she had used in Chihiro's hands. "Face your fears, and it's all over, pet. You can kill one of us, and it will be over. But who represents your true fear?"

Chihiro knew the answer, knew what she had to do. But her body wasn't listening to her. It was raising the blade to the wrong person. Kei cackled, and grinned, "Good... Now do it... Do it, and you're free."

_No! No! No! _Chihiro's mind screamed, _that's the wrong one! Don't! It's a trick! _ The hands that held the blade faltered. "N-... No... " she forced herself to say, "You're trying to decieve me... I know the real answer..." With great difficulty, she forced herself to face the true source of her fears. Tears streaming down her face, she prayed that she was right, as she unsteadily raised the blade over her head, "Forgive me..." she whispered, and with a scream, she plunged the blade into her dying husband's chest, peircing right though his heart. His death was her greatest fear... And she had to destroy that fear, and in doing so, destroy this nightmare version of his death.

----------------------------

As soon as Chihiro screamed, and comepleted her motion of stabbing something, it was as if the invisible floor holding her up disappeared, and she dropped into the bottom of the tub.

"Oh, she made it," said the not-Yuki, who sounded rather disappointed. She was ignored however in the rush to get to Chihiro. Once her feet were firmly on the edge of the tub, Chihiro realized it was Haku that had pulled her out. She suddenly embraced him tightly, catching his lips with her's, causing them to both topple down the side of the tub and land on the floor. Once back on his feet, Haku managed to say, "Ow... What was that for?"

So Chihiro told them of what she had seen, and done, and explained why. 

"Okay... don't speak of the bit with me being in peices, ever again," said Haku, whom looked disturbed by the rather detailed description from his wife, "There is only so much a dragon can think of his own death, and that is not a scenario I want to envision again..." his semi-joke done, he slipped an arm around Chihiro's shoulder, "I'm glad you're alright... Those kids said if you didn't fight it, you would go mad..."

"It looked like she had," Lin said, just a hint of sarcasm in her voice, earning a smack from Reina, "And I mean that with the utmost respect!" Lin added, rubbing the back of her head, where Reina had struck her.

"So, was this a one time thing," Kenshin asked, "Or are we all going to have to go through our nightmares? And if so, will we all eventually be in them? We saw flickers of your nightmare, Chihiro, here and there."

"Oh, I HOPE this was a one time thing... You don't want to be in my nightmares... trust me... _I _ don't want to be in my nightmares... "

"I think mine would be along the lines of Chihiro's," Reina muttered, blushing slightly.

"Boy am I glad I don't dream half the time!" said Lin, getting a glare from Yukimi.

"Where did those children go?" Reina suddenly asked, "They're gone..."

"And they've been replaced by me..." said a voice behind the group, making them turn around quickly. In the corner stood a rather tall man, with long black hair, pulled into a ponytail. He was light-skinned, and made to appear even more so by his comepletely black attire. His dark eyes were stark against his pale skin. He leaned against the wall, long arms crossed over his chest, "Well, not so much as replaced, as driven off by. The creepy-crawlers here don't like me much, since I'm not one of them." He let his arms fall to his sides, and stepped out of the shadow he had been half hidden in.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Lin whe his face coul be seen clearly, but no one noticed. The man bowed, and said, "I'd take off my hat to you, but I'm afraid I lack such a hat. Nivek Nogard, at your service, my fellow captives."

His slightly pointed ears seemed to twitch as Lin muttered something. He straightened, and looked for the source of the muttering. His eyes locked on Lin and he froze, looking alot like an animal, captivated by a bright light, Chihiro thought. "L- Lin?" said the man, disbelief practically oozing in his voice.

"Nivek..." said Lin, blinking slowly, as if making sure he wasn't going to disappear. "Nivek Nogard...Been a long time."

------------------------------

Oh and the bit with Chi under the crate and all that: Brought about by the Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning... if you've seen the movie, you know what scene I improvised for this... There wasn't quite so much blood in the movie :P


	10. prt3 chp8 Nivek

Now here is another chap... The next may take a while to get done, so bear with me...

And all about Lin and Nivek will be explained in due time...

**_Part Three  
_**

**_Chapter Eight: Nivek_**

"Indeed, it's been about a hundred years, at least, I think it has... spend a while here, and you lose all sense of time," said Nivek, still looking slightly bewildered, "You're still looking as beautiful as ever."

"Don't try to charm me," Lin replied, moving through the group, until she was clear of them, "I didn't work when you left, and it won't work now."

Chihiro, whom, like everyone else, was rather confused, spoke up, "You two know eachother? How?"

The pair ignored her. "I didn't have much choice in the matter of leaving..." said Nivek, "If you'll remember-"

"No I don't actually, seeing as how you never saw fit to tell me why you had to in the first place."

"I said back then it was better you didn't know, and I stand by that."

Lin scoffed, "A century later and you _still _won't tell me? Let me guess... some cliche thing like you were protecting me?"

"Yes, actually," Nivek replied, shamefully.

Haku stopped the argument from going any further, "Enough! Would _someone _please explain what the hell is going on?"

"Not long before you came to the bathhouse," said Lin, "Nivek here took off on me... After asking me to be his wife no less," she added, bitterly. She raised a hand threateningly to stop the man's reply, "Don't know why. I think that's all that needs explaining."

"So that's why you've turned into a far-too sarcastic, and rude b- OW!" Ryu began to say, before both Chihiro and Reina smacked the back of his head, hard.

"No, dear boy," said Nivek, with a wry smile, "I'm afraid that Lin has always been like that. Which is oddly what attracted me to her in the first place..."

Ryu made a mock gagging sound, that got a look that could have killed him from Lin, "That's in the past," said Lin, still glaring at the fire spirit, who backed up a bit. He knew when his taunting of Lin had gone too far, "After all, you left."

"Only because I didn't want you to get stuck here, as well, but it seems that didn't matter. How did you all come to be here anyway? And seeing other humans is a rarity."

Kenshin and Yukimi shrugged, "We fell asleep on our couch, and woke up here."

"I think everyone here just woke up here..." said Haku, "And what do you mean other humans? You don't have the slightest trace of a mortal in you."

"Such is the wonder of magic master...?"

"Haku."

"Haku... I have so many spells on me for immortality and youth and even more for a slight change in appearence, I'd need hours to even name a quarter of them, and I've been in this place for a century, which got rid of any true human traces left in me. Spend too long in a world that isn't your's, and you change until you belong in it... That girl there," Nivek nodded towards Chihiro, "I can tell she's human, but another couple of years, and she won't seem any different from spirits like Lin. Not to the untrained eyes, anyway. Those two," he nodded at Chihiro's parents, "still even have their human scent."

"I'm not 'that girl'" Chihiro protested, "My name's Chihiro. They're my mother, and father, Yukimi and Kenshin."

"I'm Ryu," said Ryu, with a half-bow, "I'm told I'm a fire spirit, but with the way this bunch, and she" he jerked his head towards Reina, "treat me, I feel more like an imp... and abused imp." Reina clubbed the side of his head with a wing. Rubbing his head, Ryu said, "See?"

Smirking at her lover, Reina said, "I'm Reina, our imp's keeper." This earned her a chuckle from Nivek.

"So who were those kids anyway?" Nivek asked, "They bore striking resemblance to Chihiro, and Haku, here."

"They were meant too," said Lin, "I think Kyoko, or whatever her name is, is trying to mess with everyone's heads, by showing us people we- wait, how do we know you're the real Nivek, and not just another illusion?"

"Well, at least you finally thought to ask...Though, those kids weren't an illusion... They were something else, shapeshifters, if you will. And as for proving I'm not one of them... Lin, when you were a little girl, you fell off the railing of the bridge, at the bathhouse, and nearly cracked your skull open. Good enough? Or would you like me to go into other details about you?" he smirked, and added, "After a hundred years, I still remember your body rather well, I could-"

"I really don't think that's neccesary," said Lin, and several of the others at the same time. "I'm convinced..." Lin added.

"Very well," said Nivek, "Maybe I should start explaining what this place is? I suppose you all know it's the creation of a World Weaver? Not sure which one, myself, but suffice to say, I made the wrong people angry, and got stuck in here... well, not here, precisely... It changed some, when you guys came along. Anyway, those 'kids' are the shapeshifters that wander around through here... They get inside your head, and turn into someone close to you, and then trap you in an illusion... And trust me, after seeing a few of your nightmares, you stop being scared of them, and when that happens, they'll leave you alone. It's no fun when they can't scare you. Though I haven't seen the place turn gray in a long time... What did you all do to make a world weaver mad? Wait, let me finish first...

So far as I have been able to find, there's no way to get out... not for me, anyway, you all have a chance, since you're not stuck here phsyically like I am. This is more like a dream for you, I'm guessing. You're prob'ly scaring your friends and family half to death with your bodies, since you won't be waking up..."

"That explains a bit," said "Yukimi, "Like how they were able take on the appearences of my grandchildren... Though Chihiro, you never said anything about a boy..."

"That's 'cause he hasn't been born yet," Chihiro replied.

The white-noise sound that they heard before, interupted the conversation. It was louder this time, and there seemed to be something else in it... Like wails. It continued for a solid minute, before it finally eased off. All the group needed a moment for the ringing in their ears to stop.

"We need to get out of here... " said Nivek, eyes darting about nervously, while Ryu complained about not being able to hear right for _two _ weeks, now, instead of one. "That sound means something is coming... The last time is when the shape shifters showed up, right?"

All nodded. It was, indeed.

"Then let's move, unless you want to find out whose nightmare is next..." He turned on his heels, and walked back to the corner where he had been standing before... and passed right through the wall. After a moment, he reappeared, and gave them a questioning look, "Well, come on..."

"Can't walk through walls," said Lin, bluntly.

"This is a dream world, Lin my darling, and once you know a dream is a dream you can do anything, you can bend the world the way you want it... Hence, you can walk through the walls, as they are merely a figment of your imagination. Go ahead, try... but don't think of it as a wall, believe that there's nothing there."

"Fine..." said Lin, approaching the wall. She ended up bumping into it, and nothing more. She tried several times, and the last, she went through, with a yelp, and they heard a crash that meant she had fallen, not really expecting to succeed. One by one, the others followed. Ryu, like Lin, had trouble, and got rather annoyed with the wall, and made the mistake of speeding up as he headed for it. Unfortunately for him, he didn't go through. Laughing till she turned blue, at his misfortune, Reina passed through on the first try. When he got through, he was still shooting the woman death-glares, that she met with cheery smiles.

They walked in silence, while their surroundings changed, becoming less like the bathhouse, and more like some unfamiliar terrain. Nivek explained that it ws because they had seen past the illusion of the dream, and the world was fallling apart, and reacreating its self, but it was trying to mix the things from all of the new arrivals heads, making everything that much stranger. "It's fun, once you learn the knock of controlling it," Nivek said at one point, "You can create the places, and people you've always dreamed about... Of course, this place has a nasty way of putting a nightmarish spin on most of those things, so I don't bother anymore..."

After hearing all of this, Chihiro began to be able to pick things out that she knew from her own mind. Rooms, paintings, tapestries... But eventually, as Nivek said, they took on a nightmarish quality, and she stopped pointing things out that she knew, as did they all. It was just strange to Chihiro that even with the parasite, Kyoko could have been that morbid. When she said as much to Nivek he told her that the minds of all world weavers were connected, and eventually the original creator of a certain dream, lost control over it, and traits from all the others began to combine, and build a different world. And not all world weavers went with dreams... many loved nightmares, even though _all _ had the power to create them. With a parasite in her head, Kyoko was just tapping into tha ability.

Chihiro also noted that while Lin tried to pretend she was mad at Nivek, and was quick to say she was, she stayed close to his side, casting sidelong glances at him, now and then, when she thought no one was looking. _Now all that's left to find out is how to get out of here, and how to bring him with us... I haven't been here a day... -or have I? I seem to have lost my sense of time here... - and I already want to get out... Hate to imagine what a century here would be like. _Granted, she couldn't even fathom being alive for that long. Thinking about reminded her that their new guide was a human as well. Yet he was also immortal, and if she had heard correct, he wasn't going to age anymore either... Her own short life span had always bothered her as well. Haku often jokingly said she better not die on him or he'd have to bring her back, and kill her all over again, but behind the joke, there was the knowledge that she would grow old, and die, while he would stay him. Powerful and young, forever. Sure, he aged some, but by the time he reached the appearence of thirty, he would stop.

_If Nivek could acheive immortality, could I? _ She already knew that her children would live forever as well. So, she was the only member of her family who would die... of old age, anyway. It wasn't something she wanted to think about right then. After all, they still had to get out... But maybe once they were out, she could ask Nivek about those spells...

--------------------

Mean while, in the real bathhouse, Zeniba was trying to work things out in her head... Upstairs, were five people stuck in a comatose state, brought on by a rather large dose of dream dust. The entire bathhouse had been hit with it, but none so heavily as Chihiro, Haku, Reina, Lin and Ryu. Zeniba knew there was going to be no waking them up, until the effects wore off, which could have easily been days... The problem was what was going on while they slept. She knew now, that it was the world weaver, Kyoko, that had done it, but there was no way to make her stop. If the dream world she had created for the five was suddenly destroyed, without them waking up their own, their minds were likely to be lost forever.

Wails brought her ouf of her thoughts. One of the younger girls, Hotaru, was watching the twins, whom were very displeased with this arrangement. They were usually quite happy to be with new people, however without their parents around, they were nervous.

Ignoring them, Zeniba resumed her pacing, and thinking. There had to be some way to wake the five up, without the effects of the dust to wear off. After all, knowing who they were dealing with, whatever they were facing couldn't be pleasant. And she doubted anything good would happen were they to die in their, for lack of a btter term, little world...

-------------------

And she was right to doubt anything good would come...


	11. prt 3 chp 9 Confrontation

alright... This is the last chapter...

**_Part Three_**

**_Chapter Nine: Confrontation_**

"Okay," said Kenshin, out of breath, as the entire group leaned against a door, as something pounded on it from the other side, "Who dreamed up that... that thing, and why is it after all of us?"

"Well," said Yukimi, "If I understand everything correctly, and someone stop me if I'm wrong, I'm still trying to process all this, then this place is changing, and the maker is losing control over it. I think the nightmares are manifesting themselves, and doing what they please, instead of appearing to one person... And this one would be mine. I never quite got over the 'monster in the closet' fear, and that's what I always thought it would look like..."

"_Mom_?" said Chihiro in disbelief, "Well, that explains why you made dad check my closet when I was little, even when I asked you to do it. Anyone else have any monster dreams they'd like to share real quick?"

"Um, well," said Reina, pointing to the nearby corner, "Mine is over there, but it hasn't moved."

Chihiro looked, as did everyone else, and there were several snickers to be heard. Chihiro herself was among them. The creature in the corner was small. Very small. Tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand, and it was almost cute, in a disturbing way. It looked like bunch of animals, all rolled into one. Rabbit, deer, squirrel, and several others... All of the cute and fluffy variety. Ryu was still snickering, while Reina tried to defend herself. She was starting to say something about "transformations" or something of that nature when the corner-critter moved. It tottered towards the group on unsteady legs, and if it hadn't been for the monster banging on the door from the other side, Chihiro might have given in to the temptation to go and pick it up and cuddle it. But it started to change, when it was a few feet from its corner. It grew in size, and ugliness. It became less and less like a combination of cute fuzzy animals, and more like a combination of rather horrifying and dangerous looking demons.

"Oh, bloody hell..." Ryu groaned, looking for an escape.

"I hear your 'bloody hell'," said Nivek, also looking for a way out, "And I raise you an 'oh, shit' Anyone wanna beat that one?"

"I could..." said Chihiro with a nervous chuckle, "But if I said any of the things I'm thinking, I'm sure my mother would find that I am not too old to be beaten... Let's just get the hell out of here shall we?"

"Good plan, honey," said Yukimi, breathlessly, "how about that wall?" she pointed to the far north wall... If they were fast, they could get through it before the, for lack of a better term, bogey man, got in, and they could avoid Reina's nightmare creature...

"Alright then," said Haku, "I suggest we run for it... Now!"

The all just barely made it past Reina's nightmare, to get through the wall. Luckily, most of the creatures that popped up were too intelligent for their own good... Had they been a bit dumber, they might have gone through walls no problem, but they were just smart enough to know that walls were solid, and they couldn't go through them.

"Where to next?" Reina asked, breathlessly, "I mean, we can't just keep wandering around... There has to be some way to wake ourselves up..."

"If what Chihiro saw with the dream dust was true, then we'll wake up on our own, eventually," said Lin, "It's just a matter of when it wears off, and if we can stay alive that long... We die in this place we're either liable to wake up mad as a hatter, or die of a heart-attack in our sleep..."

"Gee, I really like those options," said Kenshin... "Go nuts or die."

"I think I'd rather die than be stark raving mad," said Ryu, "So there is an upside to those choices."

"For you," Nivek added, "Me? I'm here physically... Or, I am now anyway... After about fifty years, it wasn't just a dream for me anymore... Only way for me to get out is for the world weaver who put me here to destroy the place... Which if you were all put here by the same one, I may have a chance at getting out with you."

A loud thud from the wall made them decide it was time to move, without any further ado.

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It seemed like an eternity later that they reached a room that didn't even remotely belong in the bathhouse... And it was clearly the creation of Kyoko, for she was the one who stood at the far end of the room, smirking as if she ruled the world... which, technically speaking, she did, right then. She was finger-combing her blue hair as she watched them approach. Her pale blue lips moved, as her eyes flicked from person to person, as if she were counting. She seemed displeased with the number she came up with for a scowl took over her smirk in a second.

"Hmm... There are more where there should be less... Pity," she said, as if it made no real difference. "I had hoped I would be spared the trouble of killing you all myself..."

"Well," said Chihiro, "I guess a good nightmare isn't what it used to be... Really, using bogey men on us? Trying to drive us insane? I'd have thought you could do better."

"I said I wanted to be spared from killing you _all _myself, insolent child," Kyoko replied, "No... There are a few of you I want the pleasure of killing myself... shall I give you a demonstration of what you're all going to be hearing soon?" she didn't wait for an answer. She snapped her silver fingers, and screams of panic, and pain echoed through the room, increasing in volume, until the sound was a roar. Another finger-snap, and all was silent. "I could let you listen again, but, a recording, if you will, is never as much fun as a live performance," she disappeared from her place at the end of the room, "Don't you think?" she had reappeared behind Reina. Before the spirit, or any of her companions could react, Kyoko had hold of one of Reina's wings... Then came the sickening sound of bones shattering, and the bird spirit shrieked. "Ah," said Kyoko, a sadistic smile on her lips, "Music to my ears."

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Zeniba was checking for what had to be the hundredth time to make sure that her sleeping charges were still alive and not dead... They lay so still and it had been days since they'd first been discovered dosed with dream dust. Every now and then they would mutter in their sleep, but the witch could never tell what about. Today though, she got a surprise that she was sure took several years off her lifespan. As she was leaving the room, there was a scream behind her. Reina was the source. Her pretty features were contorted in what looked like a grimace of pain, and her muscles tensed.

After that little episode, Zeniba stayed firmly put in the room... Though later on, she wished she hadn't... She got a serenade of muttering, and several more cries of pain or fear... All in all it wasn't at all a pleasant way to spend her evening.

----------------------

All of the group was worse for wear. Kyoko was fast, and vicious. She had already rendered Yukimi and Kenshin useless in the fight by using her disappear/reappear act to get behind them, and break whatever limb she felt like grabbing. Yukimi was cradling a broken arm, and a dislocated shoulder, and Kenshin a broken wrist, and quite probably a broken knee. Both of Reina's wings dragged along the ground uselessly, and Lin, Chihiro, Nivek, Ryu and Haku all sported deep gashes, from Kyoko's sharp nails. They had to be sharp, to pierce through Haku's scales, which they did with ease.

The long white dragon stood next to his wife, and their still-standing companions as blood dripped from their various injuries, pooling at their feet, and mingling with the blood of the others. Ryu said something, and his hands caught fire. With ease, he threw said fire towards their barely tired opponent. One missed, the other singed her cheek, and hair. Ryu swore loudly, and tried again. This time he hit the woman. She shrieked, but managed to get the fire out before she was seriously injured... However, Haku, Chihiro, Lin, and Nivek used the fact that she was distracted to their advantage. Haku rammed into her, taking her arm in his massive jaws, and Nivek said something in what sounded like latin, and Kyoko went limp for just a moment. Haku, noticing the slackness of his captive, closed his mouth all the way. There was a sickening crunch, and squish as his massive fangs dug their way through flesh and bone. Kyoko woke from her trance in time to see her arm separate from her body in a fountain of blood... Yet oddly enough, she didn't scream. A look of horror just crossed her face, as she hit the floor, clutching at the stump where her arm had previously been attatched.

"We'll take you apart," Lin hissed, as Haku dropped Kyoko's still-twitching limb, and wrinkling his nose, as if it tasted bad, "Bit by bit."

"Unless you tell us how to get out of here..." Chihiro finished, trying to ignore the pain of one of her more recent injuries; four long, and deep gashes across her chest.

"It... doesn't matter..." Kyoko replied, obviously desperate to keep her voice steady, "You kill me, you only succeed in killing the creator of this world, and your minds will go with her... And I'll be free to move on to my next host."

"Not if we can get rid of you, the parasite," Nivek said, lazily inspecting a bloody hand, "I know a spell that would temporarily remove you, and we could speak with the real Kyoko. But, there's a drawback to that spell... Chances are, you would cease to exist, in this dream world, as that is what all of us want."

"That's a drawback?" Ryu wheezed, holding Reina up on her feet. He had been struck in the throat earlier, and it made it difficult to talk.

"Foolish human," Kyoko spat, "you think that just because I would no longer be here you would be free?"

"If this were any other place in this world, no," Nivek answered calmly.

"But this particular place," said Haku, returning to his human form, and wiping blood from his mouth, "IS Kyoko's mind... You cease to exist here, and you're just gone forever... Do the spell Nivek..."

"With pleasure, Master Dragon," the man replied, with an exagerrated bow.

"No, no wait!" Kyoko cried, as Nivek began to speak in latin again. The air got thicker, and thicker, until it was near impossible to breath. The room also became... Dim... There was no other way to describe it, other than dim. The edges seemed to blur, and become transparent, to reveal nothing but an empty black abyss. All the while, Kyoko's body, severed arm included, began to glow.

"See you in hell," Reina muttered, wincing as Ryu unwittingly brushed against one of her wings.

The glow stopped, and Kyoko collapsed on the floor from the half-sitting position she'd been in.

"Did it work?" Yukimi asked, helping her husband to stand.

"You're damn right it did," said a hoarse Kyoko, pushing herself off the floor. There was an accent to her voice, now... British, Chihiro was sure. "I haven't had a parasite in my head in..."

"Sixty years, my friend," said Nivek, offering to help her, "I remember quite well." He turned to the others, who gave him confused looks, "I have removed a parasite such as that before. Part of being stuck here is helping my host whenever she needs it."

"You call this helping?" Kyoko scoffed, looking at her charred clothing, and missing arm, "You let them take my sodding arm off... AND burn my clothes, before you decided to work that little spell of yours."

"Call it payback for putting me here in the first place," Nivek replied, "And your mind is back in your control, you can put things back to the way they were... And I believe I have fullfilled my end of the bargain?"

"Oh alright! You're free... where do you want to appear? The bathhouse? Fine..." She looked from person to person, "It's going to be several minutes before you wake up, so get your goodbyes out to those who aren't in the same place as you... I'm not sticking around for the mushy stuff if you don't mind..." With a silent crack, she was gone.

"That was... Odd..." said Chihiro, and her parents nodded in agreement. She turned to them, "I'd hug you, but I think I might hurt you."

"A little imaginary pain is worth one last hug," her mother said, and clumsily wrapped her good arm around her daughter, as Kenshin did the same.

"So," Nivek said to Lin, "Goodbye kiss, in case Kyoko screws up and I end up in another dimension?"

"Dream on, spell-boy. The day I let you kiss me again is the day a frog flies over my head with a harp and a halo," Lin told him, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ryu was about to tell Lin that maybe she shouldn't make such requirements in that place, when the afformentioned frog, complete with harp, and halo, flew over the grumpy spirit's head. Shaking his head, Ryu laughed, as Lin protested that it didn't count because Nivek had control of that place. Thankfully, the man shut her up with a kiss. Once Lin was done complaining (though her heart wasn't really behind the complaints) the group gathered in the center of the room. Chihiro gave her parents one last hug.

"I'll miss you guys... " she said to them, sniffling.

"And we'll miss you," her parents chorused.

As everyone began to turn transparent, the humans waved goodbye to their daughter, and her friends. "It was nice to meet you, Kohaku," Kenshin said to Haku. And with that, everyone was gone.

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Epilogue

When the group awoke in the bathhouse, they at least got a good laugh out of scaring Zeniba out of her wits. Hearing the noise from the room, Hotaru, Shinko and Yuki's sitter, had run in, with the twins in her arms. Both Chihiro and Haku had showered their daughters with kisses, and both of the girls squealed and laughed at the attention. As promised, Nivek was there in the bathhouse, though he had appeared somewhere further down the hall, and had to follow the noise to find them.

The physical body of Kyoko was, like the others, unharmed. She could no longer speak with them, however, though Chihiro wondered briefly if that was a good thing. She left the bathhouse the day after she awoke, without so much as a good bye. Nivek had avoided her at all costs, afraid that she might change her mind, and suck him back in. Though he wouldn't go into great detail about why he'd been trapped in the first place, it was easy enough to gather that he had wronged the world weaver in some way, and he'd had to work to get free.

Now that he was free though, he was also free to pursue Lin, who, despite her complaints, and insistance that she wasn't going to fall for him again, clearly enjoyed the attention.

Reina and Ryu stayed, as well. Neither said anything more on the subject than that neither of them had homes to return to, and all they had done since they'd met was travel. Both were done with their traveling, and the Bathhouse was somewhere they could both help out, and fit in.

And that was just in their first week after waking up.  
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Forgive me if this wasn't a satisfactory ending, or if it were too sudden, but if I had tried to go for another chapter, I might never have finished this... Not when I have another fic to write, and frequent cases of writer's block on this one... Which is why I rarely do sequels... Come to think of it... this is only the 2nd TRUE sequel I've ever written...


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